Hearts legend Salvatori in hunt for Scottish job

PERCHED on a stool in a George Street brasserie, immaculately presented and ready for a new way of life, Stefano Salvatori is back in Scotland, possibly for good if he can secure a football coaching or management job.

Several years out of the game have not diluted his appetite, for above the buzz of bar-room chit-chat and clinking glasses he talks passionately about his philosophies and what he feels he can offer.

Salvatori is 43 now, sporting a well-groomed goatee beard but none of the flowing locks which characterised him in a Hearts shirt in the late 1990s. His arrival from his native Italy went unnoticed although he has not merely been living it up in suave establishments around Edinburgh's city centre. He has been out meeting and greeting, putting his face around the Scottish football community, hopeful that work may come his way.

He welcomes with a warm handshake and offers a drink. Non-alcoholic, of course. As a former AC Milan, Parma and Fiorentina player, and a 1998 Scottish Cup winner with Hearts, he knows a thing or two about the high life. Yet it is his humility which shines through. He climbs back upon his stool to begin discussing his reappearance in the Capital. It is the only place outwith his homeland that he played during a remarkable career and he feels a strong affinity with Edinburgh and its inhabitants.

Present in Salvatori's man bag - another fashion statement - are his UEFA 'A' and 'B' Licences, plus a sport director's diploma from Italy. He definitely means business. The lack of a Pro Licence prohibits him from managing in the SPL but he is willing to consider whatever roles might become available. Assistant manager, coach, sport director, or manager at a club outside the top flight. He has left two teenage daughters at home in Italy to continue his football crusade in Scotland and, in conversation, you get the impression he won't give up until he succeeds.

"I am back in Scotland to work because football is my life," he says. "I have licences to be a manager, an assistant manager or a sport director. I can work in any system and I can bring some players here. I have a lot of connections all over the world and I know Scottish football. I know it is not easy here but I am very happy to be back in this country. I am waiting until the end of the season to see what happens."I look around, I have many meetings and I would like to help some clubs in Scotland."

Last weekend he travelled to Fife to take in Dunfermline's critical First Division title showdown against Raith Rovers. Previous work with the respected Italian football agent Claudio Vigorelli helped him build a network of contacts which he feels could be well utilised in Scotland. Now he needs to get out there and let people know he is in the market for work as someone who can offer something different.

"I never tried to be a coach in Italy. I have my licences but when I stopped playing football I did nothing for two years," he says. "I wanted to relax and take a break from the game, I wanted to do something different. I have spent a lot of time getting my coaching licences. I can manage a club in Serie C1 (third division) in Italy and I have a diploma from my sport director course which means I can be a sport director anywhere in the world. This is a very important licence, one of the best diplomas."

He digs into the bag to produce the certificate and slaps it on the table. Then come the 'A' and 'B' UEFA licences. "In Scotland it is very different because the manager is also like the sport director, but I can be an assistant manager and I can help the club, the team and the manager."

But why Scotland? Quite simply, Salvatori believes it may be easier for him to obtain work in this country and that he would revel in how British football operates. He has held informal discussions with officials at clubs including Hearts and Dunfermline, and has also made time to catch up with some old pals from 1998, like Neil McCann.

"I know Scottish football. It is very close to English football and it uses a very similar system," says Salvatori. "There is only one big difference - in England there is big money. Scotland is okay because you have Rangers and Celtic. I think the money here is similar to Serie B or Serie C1 in Italy. It is a good level. I know many people here. In Italy it is very difficult to get a job but I did not ask anyone. I have met Jim Jefferies, John Yorkston, Jim Leishman and some other people since I arrived. I will wait to see what happens."

Evidence of his ability to spot talented players lies in Kilmarnock's Manuel Pascali. It was Salvatori who offered the Italian midfielder to Jefferies during his time in charge at Rugby Park. "That was my first transfer and Pascali has been a good player for Kilmarnock. The most important thing is football is that you must have trust. Every chairman and owner should trust every person working for the club. You are the manager, or the assistant manager, or the administration officer. They must all want similar things but they cannot always decide together.

"Everyone all over the world wants to be the manager. They say, 'he is a good player, he is a bad player', and so on. But you need to be qualified. I can't be a lawyer because I am not qualified."I can't be a journalist because I didn't study for this job. You must have the qualifications to do the job. If you are the chairman, then you are the chairman because you have the money. Not because you love football, but because you are running a business. I think this is a good country for football. The biggest problem in Italy is that some chairmen want to choose the players."

That issue, of course, can raise its head in this country occasionally too. Salvatori may discover so if he succeeds in finding work here.

With experience of top-level Scottish football, his presence could make all the difference for someone next season.