All the aggravation was worth it, says Sven

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON insists he would have no hesitation in telling anyone offered the England job to seize the “fantastic” opportunity with both hands.

Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick will not rule out appointing another foreigner as Eriksson's successor, and the England head coach himself said the job was worth all the aggravation.

The FA and Eriksson have agreed a deal that will see the Swede step down after the World Cup, two years before his contract was due to expire, following the latest News of the World revelations.

However, it was revealed at a briefing yesterday that Eriksson already had a private agreement with Barwick to leave after the finals and permission to discuss other job opportunities so long as he kept the FA chief informed.

Thoughts are already turning to who will take up the England reigns and Eriksson said: "If anyone asks me I would just say take it, because it is a huge job, a fantastic job.

"Do I feel any sense of relief? No. I always liked the job and I still do. We have a fantastic team and we have a chance to do very well in Germany, to get to the final and hopefully win it."

The revelation that Eriksson also discussed the possibility of staying on until 2010 as well as being given the option of stepping down after the World Cup will also raise eyebrows in the game.

"We had a private agreement that more or less I would be allowed to leave after the World Cup if I wanted," added Eriksson.

"The only one who knew is Brian, myself and my agent. On his first day Brian asked me into his office and we started talking about what's going to happen after the World Cup in 2006.

"I went to see him yesterday and I was asked to win the World Cup and then look after my life. And if we win the World Cup, then it will be 'thank you and goodbye'."

Barwick was reluctant to refer at all to Eriksson's successor but he did concede that although an Englishman would be preferable in effect meaning Steve McClaren, Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley or Stuart Pearce he believed foreign coaches should not be excluded from the selection process.

"This is probably not the day to talk about Sven's successor but I believe it should be the best person for the job," said Barwick. "But if he's preferably English so much the better."

Eriksson too does not believe nationality should make any difference. "I don't have any opinion about that," he said. "What am I today? Am I English, Italian, Swedish, what am I?

"My passport says I'm Swedish of course but I would like to feel that I'm a European and my home now is England."

Eriksson accepted that a whole new ball game was opening up in terms of him being linked with every high-profile coaching job in football, but pledged not to spend time on any negotiations when he was with England or watching matches.

He said: "We have to look at the World Cup and concentrate on that. At the moment this is the most important thing because we have a chance to win it.

"There will be a lot of rumours that's for sure, every time a club is losing my name will crop up.

"But I will not listen to other clubs and countries when there is football going on in England."

Eriksson described the Sunday newspaper sting as a "scandal" and suggested it was difficult for the national team manager to concentrate on his job in England.

"I'm not allowed to speak about that because it's a legal action but 'scandal', that's what I think about it," he said.

"It could only happen in this country, that's for sure.

"It's better to have a job with a lot of pressure than one without pressure but I did get fed up with reading about my private life and I think people got fed up with reading about my private life."

Asked if he intended to look for work with an English club after the World Cup, he said: "I have absolutely no idea. The only thing I know for sure is that I don't want to claim my pension yet. I don't have any offers at all. In football, you don't look for jobs you are asked."

Eriksson also dismissed the suggestion the controversy would have done nothing to help England's World Cup campaign.

"I spoke to many of the players and they don't care."

Eriksson phoned England captain David Beckham on Monday night to tell him he would be leaving after the World Cup.

"I felt I had to speak to my captain," said the Swede, who said Beckham had said 'I'm sorry' in reply.

"It's been, so far, five fantastic years. I hope the best will come.

"I understand it, after five years people sometimes myself are fed up with everything not to do with football."

Barwick sympathised with the intense focus that came with Eriksson's job.

He said: "Until you sit where Sven sits, the profile of the job is unimaginable."