Stoke City: West Ham academy boss Ricky Martin appointed Stoke technical director

Ricky Martin spent 16 years as part of the backroom team with Norwich City

Stoke City have appointed Ricky Martin as their new technical director.

Martin, who previously worked with Stoke boss Alex Neil at Norwich City, helping him to win promotion in 2015, has left his job as West Ham United academy boss to move to the Potteries.

Martin and Neil will both report directly to joint chairman John Coates.

He joins an inconsistent Stoke side who are 15th in the Championship, in their fifth season since being relegated from the Premier League.

Martin becomes Stoke's first technical director since Mark Cartwright left the Potters in September 2019.

Prior to his four years with West Ham, Martin combined a playing career in non-league football with a youth development role at Cambridge United before moving to Norwich City, where he spent 16 years including jobs as academy manager and then technical director.

Working alongside Neil, he will be responsible for player recruitment, scouting and analysis, medical, sports science and the academy.

"Ricky brings an enormous amount of experience to the role," joint chairman Coates said. "He has a proven track record in player development and recruitment which makes him an excellent fit."

"Ricky's reputation in the game speaks for itself. I firmly believe attracting a person of his calibre to the club is a real coup for us," boss Neil added.