Barwick and Brooking at war over plan to make Curbishley England boss - as Jose 'flies in for talks'Jose Mourinho flew into England for secret talks about becoming England manager last night - with FA bosses at war as to who they want to succeed Steve McClaren.
FA chief executive Brian Barwick is set to offer the former Chelsea manager, 44, a £6million-a-year deal.
Battle for the England job: Mourinho and CurbishleyBut FA Director of Football Development Sir Trevor Brooking is in favour of appointing an Englishman - and has apparently chosen West Ham boss Alan Curbishley.
The two are believed to be at loggerheads with Barwick insistent on an established big name rather than an Englishman for the sake of it. And according to reports, the relationship between the pair is strained.
Mourinho's family are desperate to return to London as he hammers out a deal.
The 'Special One' was last night said to be 100 per cent up for taking on the biggest job in world sport.
He flew in by private jet under a cloak of secrecy to meet Barwick and thrash out a deal.
The move comes after dithering by Barwick and other senior FA figures - while fans have clamoured for them to appoint Mourinho.
The Sun reported that Mourinho was whisked to London after arriving by private jet at Farnborough airport.
He had planned to jet in the day before on a scheduled flight but was worried he may be recognised.
Instead he flew into the airport, which is used by celebrities such as David Beckham and Elton John.
The Portuguese coach has told the FA he is prepared to take the helm and give up on the idea of taking the reins at a top European club like AC Milan or Real Madrid.
The move comes after a series of heart-to-heart talks with his wife Tami, 41, who has been missing life in London since returning to her native Portugal after Jose left Chelsea in September.
Tami was understood to have reservations about seeing her man take on the most high-pressure job in football. But Mourinho has persuaded her he can cope.
They are now determined to leave their homes in Lisbon and the Algarve to return with their children Matilde, ten, and Jose Jr, six.
A source close to Mourinho said last night: "There is no doubt that Jose wants the job and England desperately want him. He is the FA's No1 choice. What is crucial now is for Jose to thrash out the fine details of a deal.
"That is why he is flying into London to meet Mr Barwick and other members of the FA board. It just depends on whether the FA can give him the deal he wants."
The source added: "Jose's family love England and he'd do anything to make them happy.
"Tami really misses her life in London. They have kept their home in the capital and would welcome a return. The children have also suffered bullying in Portugal.
"Of course, Tami has reservations. But she knows Jose is used to handling the big time. Turning around the England team is a great opportunity and really appeals to his ego."
Barwick has been given the authority to make his own recommendation to the board. But the support of Brooking would undoubtedly help his case and he may have to agree to sanctioning Brooking's coaching reforms before he gets his backing in appointing a foreign coach.
Cracks already existed in the relationship between the pair. One high-ranking source recently described it as 'terrible'. But Barwick has endeavoured to put such issues aside and tap into Brooking's obvious expertise.
Unfortunately for the FA, however, the two cannot even agree on whether or not they should appoint another foreigner.
Brooking wanted Curbishley when the FA embarked on their flawed search for Sven Goran Eriksson's successor last year and in the end he was frozen out of the selection process.
What particularly angered Brooking was that Barwick and the board had already decided to offer the job to Luiz Felipe Scolari before Curbishley, last of the candidates to be interviewed, had even been given the opportunity to impress.
Curbishley, while highly regarded for what he has achieved at West Ham as well as Charlton, is unlikely to meet Barwick's criteria for what he wants in the man who follows the hapless McClaren.
The FA deny Mourinho is in the country for talks, a view confirmed by the BBC who report that the ex-Chelsea boss is still in Portugal.
· 
ინგლისური ფეხბურთის ფანკლუბი, Only We Play With Heart
