By Andrew Warshaw
January 22 – Former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson insists he has not taken up his latest job just for the money after agreeing an 18-month contract as a technical adviser of United Arab Emirates’ Al Nasr club.
Reports suggested the much-travelled Eriksson was on the verge of joining 1860 Munich in the German second division but had a late change of heart to move instead to the Gulf where he will oversee youth programmes and help line up transfer targets.
The 64-year-old Swede has been performing a similar role at Thai club BEC Tero Sasana but neither that nor his new job are anywhere near as glamorous as a raft of previous coaching positions, not only as England boss but at clubs like Lazio, Benfica and Manchester City.
Since leaving City, he has led something of a nomadic lifestyle in three different Continents, with limited success. His last full-time position in a 35-year coaching career was at Leicester City who sacked him in November 2011.
“I can promise you the jobs with Ivory Coast, in Thailand and here are not for the money,” said Eriksson who had also been linked with the national Ukraine team. “Absolutely not. It’s for a love of football, seeing new parts of the world and a new football league.”
Eriksson revealed he would like to try and lure David Beckham, now a free agent, to Al Nasr for one last hurrah.
“If he wants to come I’m sure they would open the gates for him,” Eriksson told reporters in Dubai. “I still speak with him, although I don’t know where he will finish up.”
The former England captain has been without a club since leaving Los Angeles Galaxy last month and has been linked with moves to France, China and Australia as well as back to the Premier League.
Al Nasr are coached by former Italian national goalkeeper Walter Zenga who played under Eriksson for two seasons at Sampdoria in the mid-1990s. Al Nasr have finished second and third in their league with Zenga in charge and are once again pushing for their first league title in 27 years.
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