Eriksson's quest for answers turning to frustration

Manchester City fans might be all agog at the prospect of Thaksin Shinawtra back in the city and Sven Goran Eriksson sitting across the boardroom table from him yesterday, but the word from Thailand is: "Don't expect to see your chairman's money too soon."

Thaksin is currently bailed pending investigations into alleged corruption offences in the country and, though the advent to power of his proxy party in last December's elections will help him regain control of assets, political analysts in the country warned that neither an acquittal nor the unfreezing of £80m may take until next year.

"There are moves to effectively fiddle the political system by changing judicial and government staff [to help Thaksin] but the government knows it will not get away with that," Giles Ungphakorn, associate professor, Chulalongkorn University, said. "The government needs to be seen to be handling this properly and that will take time."

How much money that leaves Thaksin to turn City into a genuine force this summer remains unclear and, though some sources at City were hopeful when the chairman returned to Bangkok last month that some money may be unfrozen by the summer, a less certain picture is emerging from Bangkok. Sources at the club pointed out that yesterday's board meeting with Thaksin was planned, though Eriksson clearly considered it important.

"I expect Dr Thaksin to confirm what he wants to do in the future," Eriksson said. "It is important he tells us what he wants to do with the club in one year and three years. We have a lot of things to discuss."

There is no sense as to whether reports about the possible pursuit of Thierry Henry are valid, but suggestions that Michael Owen might be on his way to Eastlands are wide of the mark, according to club sources.