Fulham targeting Sven-Goran Eriksson, Manchester City looking to sign James Milner
Fulham had their best season in 2009-10 where they got to the final of UEFA Europa league and finished at their highest position in Premier League. Nevertheless, all that success did come at a price; the Cottagers ended up losing the man who made all that possible.
As soon as the season was over Roy Hodgson was snapped up by Liverpool. Fulham were favourites to sign the former Tottenham manager Martin Jol, and the deal looked all but certain. Jol’s current employers Ajax though refused to budge and in the end the deal broke down.
Now there is a new contender emerging for the job at Craven Cottage. Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is the man linked with a move to London. Eriksson last worked in the Premier League with Manchester City but did not have the best of times and left for Mexico and later ended up at Ivory Coast.
Eriksson’s agent Athole Still has said that the former England manager may be interested in the job at Fulham. The agent though said that there has been no official move made by the London club as yet.
Athole added that Eriksson has some unfinished business in the English game. He said Eriksson was sacked by Manchester City in 2008 and the Swede felt if he was given proper time he could have done a much better job. He said that Eriksson wants to have another stint in the English game and prove his worth.
Eriksson’s agent said that once his contract is over at Ivory Coast he may be interested in taking the Fulham job. Athole said that Fulham is a club with a lot of potential and especially considering what they achieved last season, it is a very attractive offer not just for Eriksson but any capable manager.
The agent reiterated that Fulham have not made no formal contact yet, Athole went on to say that Eriksson has known for a while that that Fulham have been looking to attain his services. However, there has been no discussion or an interview of any sort as yet.
Still said that Eriksson could have done a much better job at Manchester City, but there was a major clash of personalities between him and club owner Thaksin Shinawatra. The current Ivory Coast manager was shown the door in Manchester City while the club was at 9th spot on the table. He added that Eriksson wants to go back and prove to one and all that he belongs to the English game.
Meanwhile talking about Eriksson’s former club Manchester City, their manager Roberto Mancini said that he is looking forward to having James Milner at City soon. Aston Villa have said that Milner is up for sale and City are now certain that the England midfielder will end up at the blue side of Manchester.
The former Newcastle United player has been linked with Manchester City for a while, but the deal looked to be going down the drain after Aston Villa rejected a 20 million pound bid from Manchester City. Now that Aston Villa has shown the willingness to sell, it is believed that it will only be a matter of time before Mancini gets his man.
Aston Villa manager said that maybe it is time that Milner is let go, as he has shown his desire to move. O’neil said that when a player has made up his mind then there is no point in having him at the club.
Meanwhile former Arsenal Captain Patrick Vieira, who joined City from Inter Milan, has also endorsed Mancini’s decision to sign Milner. Vieira said Milner is a talented young player and will add a lot of quality to the side.
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