Fabio Capello's most recent outburst at the weekend was a threat to walk out of
Italian football in protest at Serie A referees allegedly conspiring against AS Roma, the club that he led to only the third title in their history two seasons aqo. The Old Trafford board must have pricked up its ears at that just as it did when Capello gave an interview late last year when he described United, along with Real, as one of the best two clubs in the world. "I must say that, having worked in Spain and a great deal in Italy, to close my career in England and learn to speak English well would be good," he said.
His contract with Roma, who face Arsenal in the Champions League next week,
finishes at the end of this season and there will be no shortage of offers for a popular figure who is tactically astute and able to get the best out of superstars or moderate players. Capello has a gifted squad, including Montella, Batistuta, Totti and Cafu, at Roma but it was still some achievement to win the championship with a club regarded as the Italian equivalent of Chelsea.
Capello's work with Roma will almost certainly end this summer and he would
not be the first manager to journey from the Italian capital to work in England. Eriksson did it almost two years ago and, whether it is the FA or United who come calling, Capello wants to travel the same way.
NB. Capello must surely have a CV on a par with SAF and quite possibly the best CV in Europe. Here’s just some of it...
Capello succeeded Sacchi at AC Milan in 1991 and four Serie A titles followed, topped by the mauling of Barcelona in the 1994 European Cup final (universally regarded as the best ECF performance ever) A year in Spain then brought another title with Real Madrdid and then back to Roma, signed Gabriel Batistuta for £22 million and delivered a first championship in 17 years.