Wolfsburg line up Steve McClaren as FC Twente crowned Eredivisie champions

Steve McClaren looks set to continue his managerial renaissance with German club Wolfsburg after clinching the Dutch league title on Sunday.



Branded a flop after his calamitous reign as England coach, McClaren, 49 today, has become a target for top-flight clubs across Europe after taking over at unfancied FC Twente two years ago and leading them to glory.



His side won 2-0 at NAC Breda, meaning nearest rivals Ajax - managed by former Tottenham boss Martin Jol - could not catch them despite a 4-1 victory over NEC.



Champion feeling: Steve McClaren is hoisted aloft by his victorious Twente players

'Fantastic. We deserve it,' said McClaren after being carried aloft by his players. Ajax have been coming but we kept winning. It's unbelievable. We got better and better after finishing second last season. It is party time, so I don't want to go into my future. I want to enjoy the moment.'



West Ham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold installed McClaren as their first choice after deciding to replace Gianfranco Zola, as revealed in Sportsmail a fortnight ago, and Sporting Lisbon have also been on his trail.



Interested: West Ham co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan (pictured) want to install Steve McClaren as manager

But he looks bound for Germany after a strong signal from Wolfsburg that he is on the verge of accepting their managerial offer.



'We will be making an announcement in the next week and it could be that the identity of our new coach will come as a surprise to a lot of people,' said Wolfsburg general manager Dieter Hoeness.



Wolfsburg, backed by car giants Volkswagen, won the Bundesliga title under Felix Magath 12 months ago but are in the market for a new boss after sacking Armin Veh and leaving the team under the care of youth coach Lorenz-Gunther Kostner.



They can offer McClaren extensive transfer funds, as well as lucrative personal terms, and believe this will give them a decisive edge over Hamburg and Hoffenheim, who are also keen to recruit him. Twente claimed the first Eredivisie title in the club's 45-year history against 10-man NAC thanks to goals in either half from Bryan Ruiz and on-loan Chelsea midfielder Miroslav Stoch.



The opening goal arriving just seconds after NAC midfielder Csaba Feher had been sent off.



Pure delight: Steve McClaren celebrates FC Twente's first top-flight title

'This was a fantastic afternoon and it was amazing how my players handled the pressure,' added McClaren. 'There was pressure from day one on these boys. Yes, I am old enough to be the father of most of them, but I really enjoyed working with them. They were so hungry and we have achieved an unbelievable thing.

'At the beginning of the season I said I didn't know whether we had the team to be the champions of Holland but we have done it.



CHAMPIONS ABROAD... Roy Hodgson (Sweden and Denmark)

1976-80: Halmstads BK (2).

1985-90: Malmo (2).

2000-01: FC Copenhagen (1).

Sir Bobby Robson (Holland and Portugal)

1990-1992: PSV Eindhoven (2).

1994-1996: Porto (2).

William Garbutt (Italy and Spain)

1912-27: Genoa (3).

1935-36: Athletic Bilbao (1).

Terry Venables (Spain)

1984-87: Barcelona (1).

'Last season we lost the cup final and finished second in the league but we kept growing and growing and today it proved that we are more experienced after all our big games in the Europa League.'



Twente president Joop Munsterman heaped praise on the man he brought to the club two seasons ago.



'What Steve has done with these boys is huge,' said Munsterman, who was crying with joy at the final whistle. 'It is the most beautiful thing that ever happened to the town of Enschede and to this club. I am shaking, I still can't believe he has pulled this off.'



Jol's side finished the campaign with a goal difference of +86 - 46 better than Twente's - but had to settle for second place and a Champions League qualifying berth after finishing a point adrift.





