Manchester City are hoping to be able to announce soon that Sven-Göran Eriksson, the former England head coach, has become their new manager on a three-year contract. Manchester City is +300 odds to win Premiership first game with Bodog.com
But Eriksson is thought to want about £500,000 a year more than the annual salary, excluding bonuses, of £2 million initially being offered by Thaksin Shinawatra, City’s prospective new owner. An agreement is expected after another round of negotiations held over the weekend.
Thaksin has made it clear that he will not be held to ransom and the former Prime Minister of Thailand is thought to be ready to offer the job to Mark Hughes, of Blackburn Rovers, if talks with Eriksson collapse.
Eriksson has been promised a transfer kitty of up to £50 million and the Swede’s first priority would be to revamp an attack that scored only ten goals at home in the Barclays Premiership last season.
With Bernardo Corradi expected to return to Italy, and uncertainty surrounding the futures of Georgios Samaras and Paul Dickov, Eriksson will require two new strikers, although the need to replace Joey Barton in midfield and Sylvain Distin at the heart of the defence is no less pressing.
A winger or possibly two would also figure highly on Eriksson’s list of priorities as Trevor Sinclair and Hatem Trabelsi have been released and the option to buy DaMarcus Beasley from PSV Eindhoven after his loan spell last season was not taken up.
