Andre Villas-Boas set to replace Sven-Goran Eriksson in Shanghai

Zenit St Petersburg coach spotted in city with club set to make announcement on Friday

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Andre Villas-Boas of Portugal attends a press conference as newly appointed head coach of Russia's Zenit St.Petersburg soccer club on Thursday, March 20, 2014 in St. Petersburg, Russia. (AP Photo/ Elena Ignatyeva)

Published: 5:25pm, 3 Nov 2016Updated: 6:00pm, 3 Nov 2016

Andre Villas-Boas could be the latest big football name on the way to China with reports that he will replace Sven Goran Eriksson as manager of Shanghai SIPG.

SIPG are holding a press conference on Friday where it is widely expected his hiring will be confirmed, according to reports in China.

The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager, who left Zenit St Petersburg in May, was seen in the city in photos posted by Chinese social media users.

Eriksson, the former England manager, was lured to Shanghai two years ago in a deal said to be worth US$6 million a year. But after finishing second in his first season, SIPG were lucky to get third place this term – despite signing Hulk for some US$60 million, an Asian transfer record, and Elkeson from Guangzhou for US$20 million.

Brazil's Hulk makes his way through the arrivals halls at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on June 29, 2016. Zenit St Petersburg's Brazilian international Hulk arrived in Shanghai on June 29 to sign for Sven-Goran Eriksson's Shanghai SIPG team, as the cash-flush Chinese Super League embarks on a new round of transfer spending. / AFP PHOTO / STR / China OUT

Villas-Boas, Jose Mourinho’s former right-hand man, was seen as one of the world’s most promising managers when he joined Chelsea in 2011, though his reputation has taken a dent since.