Claudio Ranieri has resigned as manager of Italian Serie A
side Parma. The former Chelsea manager is expected to eventually
take over at Manchester City, who sacked Stuart Pearce at the end
of the season. The 56-year-old Italian took over the struggling
Parma side in February and guided them to safety, with a 12th-place
finish.
His impressive stint has reportedly convinced the City board he is
the man to take over from Pearce. A statement from Parma said:
"Claudio Ranieri has informed the club of his intention to leave
his role as first-team coach. "The club would like to thank him for
the precious work he carried out, which resulted in keeping Parma
in Serie A. We wish him success for the future."
Ranieri told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport: "The
Manchester City challenge reminds me of the experience I had at
Chelsea where without spending £1, we built a good team. "I created
the Chelsea miracle from nothing. My achievement convinced Roman
Abramovich to buy the club. Then, mountains of money came as well
as a selection of top players."
However, it could be the end of next week at the earliest before he
is formally installed at Eastlands. Talks over a deal for former
Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to buy the 29% stake of
chairman John Wardle and business partner David Makin by the end
May have dragged on. The paperwork is now being handled by the
former Thailand Prime Minister's lawyers.
Looks like the original Tinkerman
is coming back to the EPL... 
