Ranieri closer to City job
01 Jun 2007 - 07:39:58
Former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri has resigned as coach of Serie A side Parma, as talk of him taking charge at Manchester City gathers pace.
Ranieri is expected to succeed Stuart Pearce at Eastlands once former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra completes his takeover of the club.
A statement from Parma confirmed: "Claudio Ranieri has informed the club about his intention to leave.
"We thank him for the great work he did helping Parma to stay in Serie A and we wish him good luck for his future career."
Ranieri, who spent nearly four years at the helm at Chelsea, had earlier dropped a major hint about his next job.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport: "The Manchester City challenge reminds me of the experience I had at Chelsea where without spending £1, we built a good team.
"I created the Chelsea miracle from nothing. My achievement convinced Roman Abramovich to buy the club. Then mountains of money came as well as a selection of top players.
"At this time, English football is a fascinating window that hypnotises you.
"Some of the richest men in the world would do ridiculous things in order to buy an English club because the Premier League has become a luxury stage.
"To return to England means to be at the centre of something important."
