Capello could be it
The Football Association are ready to make Fabio Capello the new England manager.
Confirmation of Jose Mourinho's withdrawal from the race to succeed Steve McClaren has paved the way for Capello to take the job, providing he backs up a publicly-stated desire to lead England back to the pinnacle of the international game in face-to-face meetings with FA chief executive Brian Barwick.
While the pair, and FA director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking, have yet to meet, talks have taken place with Capello's advisors. It is anticipated the 61-year-old will fly into London at some point within the next 48 hours and, although Martin O'Neill, Marcello Lippi and Jurgen Klinsmann continue to be discussed, it now appears inevitable Capello will get the job.
A veteran of nine title wins during an illustrious career which has encompassed spells at Juventus, AC Milan and Real Madrid, Capello certainly fits the 'world-class' tag Barwick insisted was the minimum criteria required to replace McClaren, who was axed in the wake of England's failure to reach Euro 2008.
Capello's name immediately cropped up once McClaren's dismissal was confirmed and, with FA insiders quickly stating the Italian's inability to speak English would not prevent him getting the job, was always one of the favourites.
Mourinho's knowledge of the English game - and popularity among the fans - would have made him a better bet but now that option has been ruled out, Capello has arguably the most impressive CV among the remaining plausible candidates, even though fellow countryman Marcello Lippi steered Italy to World Cup glory last summer.
Although Capello has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in June, he is one of the most respected coaches in the game, allying a mental toughness which saw him axe - and then restore - David Beckham from the Spanish giants' starting line-up last term, with an indisputed capability of building successful teams.
It has already been suggested former Chelsea favourite Gianfranco Zola could be brought into his coaching team, a move that would win favour with English fans, as well as aiding Capello in his battle against the language barrier.
Former England skipper Alan Shearer and current under-21 coach Stuart Pearce may also be heavily involved if, as appears increasingly likely, Capello is installed.
Ironically, given the prominence Beckham played in his last job, Capello's first game in charge would be against Switzerland at Wembley on February 6, when the LA Galaxy midfielder is likely to win his 100th cap.
Wenger: Capello "outstanding" candidate
Arsene Wenger believes Fabio Capello is an "outstanding" candidate for the England manager's job with the strength of character to succeed at the highest level.
The Arsenal boss was one of the leading football figures to be consulted by Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick in the search for Steve McClaren's replacement following the ill-fated Euro 2008 campaign.
Although Wenger had always made it clear that firstly he was out of the running for the role and also it should be filled by an Englishman, the highly-respected French coach is in no doubt Capello could make a go of what has been labelled 'the impossible job'.
It now seems the 61-year-old former AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid manager is set for talks with the FA after favourite Jose Mourinho declared himself out of the running.
Wenger believes Capello has the pedigree to bring success to the England national team.
"I have known Fabio for a long time and the quality of the candidate is outstanding," declared the Arsenal manager.
"The only problem I think he could have is with the language - I do not know how good his English is because a big part of the job is to deal with the media - maybe a massive part.
"However, he can deal with the media pressure as he done that before - he was at Real Madrid and in Italy as well where there is big media pressure in the big clubs.
"As for the technical part, you do not have to worry about him. As a national team manager, you can only deal with the generation you have - if you have a good generation you can do well."
Wenger continued: "I feel Fabio is a strong man and a strong character.
"He has a clear idea of what he wants and when he is convinced of something he goes to the end of it.
"I believe he is a strong winner and is a guy who is convinced of the methods that he uses.
"I believe a manager is strong when he swims against the tide - I feel he can do that and that is quite a needed quality in this country."
Beckham is standing by Capello
Fabio Capello is sure to have a strong supporter in David Beckham if the Italian is chosen as the next England manager.
Capello is the favourite to succeed Steve McClaren - and if he does get the job it will reunite for the former Real Madrid coach with Beckham.
The pair initially had a strained relationship as Beckham was left out of the Real side following his decision to sign for Los Angeles Galaxy during the January transfer window. But Capello was impressed by the midfielder's dedication and admitted it had been a mistake to drop him.
As it turned out, Beckham's recall to the side sparked an about-turn in Real's fortunes and a run of form that ended with the club winning the Spanish league for the first time in four years.
It is understood Beckham certainly believes Capello is a coach who would have enough faith in his abilities to include him in future England squads - the 32-year-old midfielder has declared himself able to go on playing at international level until the 2010 World Cup and is desperate for at least one more cap to make it 100 appearances for his country.
Those close to Beckham believe Capello was put under pressure to drop him by Real president Ramon Calderon, who was furious that the England player was turning his back on the club.
Capello, who was sacked by Calderon despite winning the title, said towards the end of last season: "The truth is, with him, we were all wrong. He is a great player."
Zola is 100% convinced of Capello
Gianfranco Zola has backed prospective England coach Fabio Capello as the ideal replacement for Steve McClaren.
With Jose Mourinho now a confirmed non-runner, Capello is leading the race for the England job.
Although the Football Association have been at pains to point out there is no number one candidate, Capello's CV stands out, even among a cast list that includes World Cup winner Marcello Lippi.
FA chief executive Brian Barwick and director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking will confirm as much when they hold their first face-to-face meeting with the 61-year-old this week, almost certainly tomorrow.
Having made his interest in the job public during the immediate aftermath of McClaren's sacking, Capello is unlikely to provide anything in private other than further confirmation he is the right man for the job.
Should Barwick and Brooking reach the seemingly inevitable conclusion, they will make their recommendations known to the FA board, who should merely rubber-stamp the appointment.
With no other loose ends to tie up - and no compensation to pay - Capello could be installed as early as the end of the week, although it is possible the matter may drag out slightly longer as the FA have a board meeting already planned for Soho Square next Wednesday.
While the obvious drawback with Capello is that he has little command of the English language, seven titles in Italy and Spain, plus vast experience gained at some of the biggest clubs on the planet, including Juventus, AC Milan and Real Madrid leave no argument over his prowess as a coach.
It has already been suggested Capello will ask Zola - who helped coaching Italy at last summer's European Under-21 Championships - to assist him.
The Chelsea legend has offered no opinion on that particular matter.
However, Zola is 100% convinced Capello is the right man to lift England from their present pitiful state.
"Fabio Capello possesses the ideal pedigree to create a new era of success for England," he told the London Evening Standard.
"Even when Jose Mourinho was in the running I believed that Capello had even more charisma, talent and experience for a challenging job like this one."
Like so many observers, Zola simply cannot understand why a country boasting so many top players should continually fail on the international stage.
It is still staggering to think a team possessing the talents of Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen should completely fail to reach the last 16 of Euro 2008.
And, while Capello's reputation is one of a hard man, who will not stand any challenge to his authority, Zola believes his track record shows he is capable of getting the best out of his players.
"When I was in England, many players indicated to me that they were not sure why the national side underperformed," he said.
"The conclusion I drew was that there is something of a mental block.
"Whoever the next manager of the English national team is, his first task will be neither technical nor tactical but instead to build confidence, a team spirit and to ensure that his players are ready to follow his leadership.
"These are more things which are perfect for a coach like Capello."
As well as Zola, former England skipper Alan Shearer and current Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce may also be heavily involved if, as appears increasingly likely, Capello is installed.
Ironically, given the prominence David Beckham played in his life during 2007, Capello's first game in charge would be against Switzerland at Wembley on February 6, when the LA Galaxy midfielder is likely to win his 100th cap.
