Saha: Now a French international
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Sven's international England plan
Sven-Goran Eriksson planned to integrate four foreign-born players in his England side according to former FA executive director David Davies.
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Davies, in a Daily Mail serialisation of his book FA Confidential, claimed that Eriksson reacted to the 2004 exit from the European Championships by suggesting a list of Premier League imports who were uncapped by their countries and could legally be brought into the England side due to FIFA's residence rules.
The four names suggested by the Swede were Chelsea's Italian goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, Brazilian midfielder Edu, then of Arsenal, and French pair Steed Malbranque and Louis Saha, who played for Fulham and Manchester United respectively.
None of the four ever went on to play for England, with Edu and Saha subsequently capped by their own nations.
"'I like Carlo Cudicini', Sven told me - an opinion which led to a very serious consideration being given within Soho Square to recruiting Chelsea's Italian goalkeeper.
"However, our goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence was particularly concerned, insisting to Sven it would destroy our keepers.
"'Can you also find out about Malbranque, Edu and Saha?' Sven asked me. I wasn't sure what the public reaction would be to an Italian, a Brazilian and two Frenchmen coming into the squad but I did Sven's bidding.
"However, all my discreet enquiries to clubs and agents led to nothing. Miraculously, the moment our interest became known Saha and Edu were called up by their own nations, making them ineligible."
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Your Comments
mikemike2004 (Manchester United fan)
"Looks like Sven wasn't bad afterall. All four nominations would benefit the England team greatly, in particular, Saha and Cudicini!"
mjdstevens (Manchester United fan)
"Load of nonsense. So living in a country for a few years makes you a national of that country?!
There should only be two ways to be elegible to play for a country:
1) if you or your parents/grandparents were born there
2) a prolonged period of continual residence in a country (i.e 20 years+) which would earn you a passport and dual nationality
Anything else is just absurd."
clarkeeee (Manchester United fan)
"What's the point of having national sides if you can do this?"
joebloggs (Middlesbrough fan)
"Don't Germany have 2 Polish players too?! Podolski and err.. Klose maybe?!
Not entirely sure on that...
If the player is good enough we should and available for England we should be making it happen, we've foreign managers whats the difference in having foreign players?!
If Deco had been available for England for example we'd be fools to turn it down when other countries (much better than us) are doing the same thing."
ernest_kinsey_monkleton (Manchester United fan)
"Saha and Rooney at their peak, circa. 2006/07, would've been brilliant for England! They were unplayable during that season. With our current crop of average-to-poor frontmen, if Saha wasn't so bloody injury-prone, he'd strut into the 1st team. He's the sort of player we need though(ignoring injury problems): pace, good in the air, strong finisher."
ALTERULES (Chelsea fan)
"I'd take Cudicini any day. Better than any goalie we have, even almunia doesnt seem like such a bad option anymore. But the rest of them are no better than what we have so it would have been rediculous to take them on."
fatcat169 (Swindon Town fan)
"It worked for Spain with Marcos Senna but the player has to be that good to make it worthwhile, i.e. Cudicini who is still better than any keeper that we have."
banfii (Arsenal fan)
"maltese_baggie, West Bromwich Albion fan... thats rubbish. What about the Rugby player thats playing for England and Kevin Pieterson in the cricket. Its all hypocrisy. the truth is, theres no fantastic player out there that would really want to play for us and even if they are that good, thier own nation would call them up. Imagine if a player like Ronaldo had not played for his country and was ready to natinalise........."
nush (Chelsea fan)
"who needs malbranque and saha their not even recognized by france i would go for edu and cudicini they would have brought changes but still england has the quality but one thing is for sure england should start capping young players like ashley young and theo and forget this old gabbage"
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