Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City legend Ian Crook has been announced as the new assistant coach at Sydney FC.

The 48-year old Englishman returns to the club where he served as Pierre Littbarski's number two for the inaugural A-League season, helping the Sky Blues to the first-ever Championship.

After that season, Crook followed Littbarski to Japanese club Avispa Fukuoka before becoming first team coach at Norwich who qualified from League One to the English Championship last season and are currently sitting third on the second tier table.

Crook replaces Vitezslav Lavicka's departing assistant Tony Popovic, who has returned to Crystal Palace, as well as departing Czech tactician Michael Zach, who came across with the Sky Blues boss from Sparta Prague.

The former midfielder was appointed as NSW Premier League club Sydney Olympic' Director of Coaching last year but now moves back into the A-League where it is touted he will take the top job when Lavicka's contract runs out at the end of the Asian Champions League.