Sven Goran Eriksson has once again arrived in English football, following his appointment at the head of the Thai-owned Leicester City Football Club, now playing in the nation’s second-tier Championship division.
The former England manager, who succeeds the recently dismissed Paulo Sousa, put his signature to a two-year contract with the struggling East Midlands outfit on Saturday.
Eriksson will now begin work with the club immediately by travelling with the Championship side on a tour of Thailand during the upcoming international break. The last time the respected manager toured Thailand was with Premiership team Manchester City then under the ownership of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Although not much is known about his current employers, namely Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn, beyond his penchant for polo and his families ownership of the massive King Power Duty Free Shopping enterprise in Thailand, Eriksson assured fans that he had “done his research” and that the “money is there” to support Leicesters ambitions of Premiership football in the near future.
Leicester currently sit only two-points off the bottom of the table, Eriksson has his work cut out if he is to formulate a charge for top this season, but he has reportedly been told he will be supported financially. “We haven’t spoken about billions, but the ambitions are there. The owners want [promotion] as quick as possible — and the money is there to support that idea. The starting position is not the best, but only way is up.”
Once again, we see Eriksson joining a club where there is a touch of the unknown about its owners and indeed the penchant of its chairman for ‘gobbling up’ managers. Only time will tell whether Eriksson has made the right choice or he has simply delved into yet another venture that fails to eventuate, see Manchester City and Notts County history for more information.
