The Times
"Eriksson prepares to unveil vision of City"
Twelve months after stepping down as England head coach, Sven-Göran Eriksson will make his return to club management today with Manchester City. Eriksson will oversee the first day of pre-season training, although the Swede will not sign an offered three-year contract worth £7.5 million until Thaksin Shinawatra has reached the 75 per cent threshold of shares that will allow the Thai to take the club off the Stock Exchange.
That is merely a formality, though, and could happen as early as today, with Eriksson expected to be officially unveiled before the media tomorrow. Ronald Andersson will also be confirmed as Eriksson’s assistant and Tord Grip, Eriksson’s right-hand man through his 5½ year tenure with England, as the club’s chief scout.
Eriksson is expected to make a short address to the players, outlining his vision for the forthcoming season, and familiarising himself with the surroundings and staff at City’s Carrington training headquarters before focusing his attention on the more pressing matter of improving a squad that has been severely depleted by the loss of such key players as Joey Barton and Sylvain Distin.
For a man who has not managed at club level since leaving Lazio for the England job in 2001, it promises to be a sizeable challenge and one that may take some time to get used to. Some have questioned whether Eriksson has the desire to deal with the daily rigours of club management, especially as he approaches 60, but the Swede appears to have made all the right noises so far.
Eriksson has already instructed Pini Zahavi, the agent and a trusted ally, to identify potential targets, and will be working closely with Alistair Mackintosh, the City chief executive, in the coming weeks to secure the players who he hopes will help to end the mediocrity that has permeated the club for far too long.
Yakubu Ayebgeni is thought to top Eriksson’s list of targets and the club is thought to be confident of landing the unsettled Middlesbrough striker soon, possibly within the next seven to ten days, despite interest from a host of other Barclays Premier League clubs.
The Nigerian would swallow up about a quarter of Eriksson’s estimated £40 million budget, although he is likely to be only the first of several big-money signings. Interest in Nigel Reo-Coker appears to have waned, with Aston Villa now expected to sign the West Ham United midfield player, but Eriksson is understood to be considering moves for any of Nicolas Anelka, the Bolton Wanderers forward, Christian Vieri, with whom he worked at Lazio, and Marlon Harewood, of West Ham United.
A winger, possibly two, also figures highly on Eriksson’s wish list and the Swede is believed to have singled out Yossi Benayoun, another West Ham player, Freddie Ljungberg at Arsenal and Shaun Wright-Phillips, although it is doubtful whether the Chelsea winger would agree to return to Eastlands only two years after his £21 million switch to Stamford Bridge. In turn, Bernardo Corradi, the former Italy forward, is almost certain to leave the club, while question marks hang over the futures of Nicky Weaver, the goalkeeper, and Paul Dickov and Georgios Samaras, the strikers.
With his stake standing at more than 70 per cent last night, Thaksin will hope to move a step closer to completing his £81.6 million takeover today. But for the recent postal strike, which has resulted in a backlog of notices from supporters willing to sell their shares, the former Thai Prime Minister might have already reached the 75 per cent threshold. The deal continues to be overshadowed by the political rumblings in his homeland, but Thaksin has made clear his intention to sue the military junta that ousted him from office. Thaksin has been ordered to return to Thailand by July 26 or face possible extradition, but he has vowed not to return until after the Thai elections in December.