Eriksson holds Benfica at bay and has eye on Chelsea job.
Sven-Goran Eriksson is believed to have stalled on an offer to become Benfica manager.
Sven-Goran Eriksson is waiting to see what happens to Avram Grant at Chelsea before he commits himself to Benfica, or any of the other clubs who have approached him, now that it is an open secret that he will shortly leave Manchester City.
Eriksson has been led to believe that he stands a good chance of getting the job at Stamford Bridge if Roman Abramovich decides to pay off Grant after the Champions League final later this month. Eriksson would prefer, if possible, to stay in England and his elaborate network of contacts, including some of the more powerful agents in the business, are working on his behalf. The Swede is fully aware about Grant's precarious position.
Eriksson has spoken to Chelsea before and, in one of his more infamous moments, he was photographed leaving the flat of the club's chief executive, Peter Kenyon. The Swede was contracted to the Football Association at the time and the clandestine nature of the talks led to some furious criticism, but he has always maintained that he never did anything wrong and has remained in touch with the Chelsea hierarchy. Just as importantly, his closest ally, Pini Zahavi, is one of the few agents who has regular contact with Abramovich.
If Grant keeps his job Eriksson is resigned to leaving England. Italy is his next favourite destination and he is monitoring the situation at Internazionale. A delegation of Benfica officials met the Swede in Manchester on Wednesday to offer him a three-year contract worth an annual £1.8m. That represents a £700,000-a-year pay cut and Eriksson, who prizes his wealth, is understood to have reservations about returning to the Portuguese club for what would be his third spell as their manager.
Benfica officials were briefing the Portuguese media last night that they expect Eriksson to accept their offer, providing another club does not hijack the deal. Yet Eriksson could be forgiven for being unimpressed that a Portuguese television crew was outside the hotel where the talks took place. The suspicion in Portugal is Benfica tipped off the crew as a publicity stunt to demonstrate how hard the president, Luis Felipe Vieira, was working to find a top-class manager. Officially, the television station claims it was in Manchester to do a Cristiano Ronaldo feature.
Eriksson holds Benfica at bay and has eye on Chelsea job | Football | The Guardian