Not that Sven Goran Eriksson was desperate for fresh talent or anything, but a forthcoming book from former English Football Association Executive Director David Davies claims that the ex-England coach wanted to naturalize four EPL foreign players so that they could play for the national team.

In 'FA Confidential,' Davies writes that after Euro 2004, Eriksson wanted to bring Italian goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini (Chelsea), French players Louis Saha and Steed Malbranque (both, at that time, at Fulham), and Brazilian Edu (formerly Arsenal) into the England set-up. None of the four players had been capped by their countries at that time.

"However, all my discreet enquiries to clubs and agents led to nothing," writes Davies. "Miraculously, the moment our interest became known Saha and Edu were called up by their own nations, making them ineligible." The book also reveals that Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger were discussed as potential England managers before Eriksson's appointment.

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