Agents banned from England hotel

Eriksson will not stop players holding transfer talks

Sven-Goran Eriksson will ban agents from England's World Cup hotel this summer but says he will not be able to put a stop to players' transfer talks.

The England boss said: "If a player is going to be transferred, that is his life so I cannot say no to that.

"It would be good if everything could be done before the World Cup but it will probably go on during the event.

"We never allow agents in the hotel but it is very easy for them to talk because everyone has a mobile phone."

Club managers will be able to visit the hotel to speak to their players.

Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham and Arsenal defender Ashley Cole will be among the England players who may be negotiating new contracts or transfers this summer.

Beckham has a year to run on his contract and Ashley Cole has been linked again with a possible switch to Chelsea.

Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard was distracted by talk of a move to Chelsea during Euro 2004 but Eriksson believes there is unlikely to be a repeat of such a situation this time.

I might take four or five strikers. I have to see the situation with who is injured and who is fit and who is in the best shape Sven-Goran Eriksson England's ace base

Eriksson added: "I was aware of that and I spoke to him many times about it, before and during Euro 2004.

"That was a very special case with a lot of things going on. Normally a transfer doesn't have that many things."

Eriksson was speaking after visiting the Buhlerhole Schloss hotel in Baden Baden - where England will be based this summer.

The hotel, on the edge of the Black Forest, was chosen primarily for its privacy and players will only be able to leave the complex with his permission - and the 250-year-old Baden Baden casino is out of bounds.

Eriksson could take Owen gamble

Eriksson said he plans to name his provisional 23-man squad for the tournament on 8 May, along with two or three stand-by players.

The exact number will depend on the fitness of injury victims like Michael Owen, Cole and Sol Campbell.

Eriksson said: "We will name 25 or 26 players. Everyone will know who are the 23 and who are the extra two or three.

"It's not going to be a competition. They will know they are going to be reserves, shadowing people with possible injuries."

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"I might take four or five strikers. I have to see the situation, with who is injured and who is fit and who is in the best shape.

"In the last week before I pick the squad, everything will be clear.

"I would like Owen to play as many games as possible because he will have been out for a long time."