City bid wins backing
24 Jun 2007 - 12:35:12
Thaksin Shinawatra's takeover of Manchester City should be allowed to go through, according to the man who brokered the former Thailand Prime Minister's bid.
Thailand authorities are set to investigate the source of the funds behind Thaksin's offer but Keith Harris, executive chairman of Seymour Pierce Investment Bank, says there are no problems with the takeover.
He told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "The money to buy Man City is clean.
"It has been legitimately and transparently transferred to the UK."
Of the suggestion that former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson will be handed the managerial job at Eastlands, he added: "There is a fair chance that Eriksson will take the job, and the important thing is that Eriksson is highly respected by England's players.
"They all hold him in high regard. Manchester City's academy has been successful in bringing through young England players, so it would knit well in that respect.
"Manchester City want to attract a high quality manager who can in turn attract high quality players. Sven-Goran Eriksson is on the list of candidates but we don't know if he will accept, so it behoves anyone to think of alternatives.
"The good news is the alternatives have not been in the gush of publicity and there are talks going on with those others as well.
"But the important thing is that a good quality manager is chosen and that a manager who wants the job takes it in the next couple of days."