Sven-Goran Eriksson has been invited to relaunch his career with Manchester City after face-to-face talks with representatives of the club's prospective new owner, Thaksin Shinawatra. Eriksson, out of work since the World Cup last year, has indicated that he is ready to return to football and sources close to the deal confirmed last night that he was now the "hot favourite" to be named as manager.Eriksson met Thaksin's advisers yesterday, after an initial meeting in London on Sunday, and has been identified as the leading candidate once the former Thai prime minister's takeover is complete. A formal takeover offer is anticipated before the end of the week, possibly in the next 24 hours, and Thaksin's position does not appear to have been irreparably damaged by the current investigations into corruption and fraud from his time in government.
If, as expected, Thaksin takes control, the new regime expects to unveil Eriksson as the club's first non-British manager, having promised him about £50m in the transfer market. The talks are said to have gone well and the only potential stumbling block appears to be the Swede's wage demands. Eriksson, who is still on the Football Association's payroll almost a year after stepping down as England's head coach, has always had a high opinion of his value and City will look elsewhere if he makes "ludicrous" demands.
Thaksin, whose personal fortune is estimated at £2bn, will be able to make Eriksson one of the highest-paid managers in the Premiership. A bigger problem, however, might be convincing City's supporters that Eriksson is the right man for the job. His professional reputation has been at a low ebb since the end of his reign with England and City's current board would not have entertained the idea of bringing him in but for Thaksin's intervention.
