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Wednesday Football
28 November 2007
by Jerrad Peters

WITH his trademark bluster, Jose Mourinho proclaimed his candidacy for the vacant position of England manager, yesterday. Speaking by telephone from his villa in Portugal, the "Special One" was initially coy when questioned about the job. "You will have to speak to the FA to see if they are interested in offering me the job," he commented. Moments later, however, he reverted to the brash, portentious persona to which English media had become accustomed during his two-year stay at Chelsea. "I cannot say what I think until they say they are interested," he said before adding, "Tell the FA to come and get me." The interview came just hours after Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson touted his former rival as Steve McClaren's successor. Ferguson is said to have told a friend that "if the FA consult me about it, I'll give them a shortlist of one, and tell them to get Mourinho." Sir Bobby Robson echoed those sentiments by stating that "Mourinho is a great candidate for England."

Meanwhile, Guus Hiddink is stalling on a three-year extension to his current contract with the Russian national team. The 61-year-old Dutchman is of the mind that he is still in contention for the England job and would consider an offer if the FA approached him after EURO 2008. His agent, Cees van Niewenhuizen, stated "As is well known, Guus is again among the chief candidates for England." And whether he is or isn't, the former Holland and PSV Eindhoven boss is, apparently, intent on drumming-up his own support. Whether the FA take the bait is another matter.

Paul Jewell is the new manager of Derby County. The 43-year-old agreed a three-and-a-half year contract, this morning, ending six months of time away from football. After voluntarily resigning his post at Wigan Athletic in May, Jewell spurned offers from Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Leicester City, the Republic of Ireland, and a return to the JJB Stadium before coming to terms at Pride Park. "It's going to be very difficult," said the former Bradford City and Sheffield Wednesday boss, today. "We're in a struggling situation. But all is not lost; and I'm here for the long term to try and get the club strong and upward and in the right direction." That may be even more daunting than it sounds. The Rams have taken just 6-points from 14-matches and have scored just 5-goals so far this season in the Premier League. Keeping the club in the top flight will be a near impossible task. "But," stated the new boss, bravely, "I'm not here to wave the white flag."

Luca Toni is a shock transfer target of both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The 30-year-old Italian international is believed to be unhappy at Bayern Munich after making a high-profile 11M-euro move to Bavaria in May. And while he is joint top-scorer in the Bundesliga this season with 9-goals in 12-matches, he is thought to be homesick for Italy and mulling another switch. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is keen to add a pure goal-poacher during the January transfer period and has been given the necessary funds to bolster his squad. Spurs boss Juande Ramos, meanwhile, is already searching for Dimitar Berbatov's replacement. The 26-year-old Bulgarian is believed to be entertaining the prospect of a move to Manchester United after Christmas. Toni, at 6'5'' and gifted with a deft touch in front of goal, would likely adjust well to English football and could command upwards of 8M-pounds on the open market.

Paulo Ferreira could be on his way out of Chelsea. The 27-year-old right-back, acquired for 13.5M-pounds when Jose Mourinho took the reigns at Stamford Bridge in 2004, has failed to earn a regular place in new manager Avram Grant's starting-XI. Grant, meanwhile, is an admirer of Valencia's Portuguese right-back Miguel. Valuing him at approximately 10M-pounds, Valencia would likely demand a certain amount of financial compensation if the two players were swapped.