Ex-Thai PM ups City stake

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has upped his stake in Manchester City to 65.78 per cent.

Thaksin is looking to take a controlling interest of 75 per cent in the City of Manchester club through his company UK Sports Investments Ltd before appointing the successor to sacked manager Stuart Pearce.

Sven-Goran Eriksson is expected to be that man and the former England coach is believed to have agreed in principle a three-year contract worth around £2.5 million a year.

The 59-year-old Swede has not been a club boss for seven years after leaving Italy and Lazio to join England.

He first came into the spotlight with Gothenburg before having spells with Benfica, Roma, Fiorentina, Benfica again, Sampdoria and then Lazio.

Manchester City's new manager is expected to be handed a transfer kitty of around £50 million to bolster his squad.

And Stefan Lundin, chairman of the Association of Swedish Football Coaches, does not believe Eriksson would waste any funds he would be given.

Lundin said: "I do think his record in the transfer market is a good one. People should remember the success he has had with various teams across Europe.

"I suspect he missed the day to day working with players even when he was national coach.

"Now he has a chance to work in the Premier League and I do not think you can ask for more if you are a coach."

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