Shanghai (AFP) – Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is parting company with Shanghai SIPG, the Chinese club said on Friday, despite taking them to a third-place finish in this year’s Chinese Super League (CSL).
The decision was taken following “friendly discussions”, the club said on a verified social media account, thanking the Swede for his “great contribution to the team in the past two years”.
“We sincerely hope everything goes well for Mr. Eriksson’s future work and life,” it added.
SIPG were runners-up in the CSL in Eriksson’s first year at the club, giving them a place in this season’s AFC Champions League, where they reached the quarter-finals.
Chinese media have speculated that former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has been lined up as Eriksson’s successor. The club was due to hold a press conference later on Friday.
SIPG have been among China’s big spenders as money pours into the Chinese game. This year they captured Brazilian forward Hulk for a reported 55 million euro ($60 million).
Eriksson coached England from 2001-2006 and went on to lead Manchester City and Leicester City. One of several high-profile foreign names to secure lucrative contracts in China, his first job in the country was at Guangzhou R&F in 2013.
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