Aston Villa have turned their attention to Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder as they ready a move to appoint him as Steve Bruce’s successor, according to Football Insider.
The football site claim the Midlands giants regard Wilder, 51, as a “serious contender” to replace Bruce, who was sacked earlier this week.
Football Insider claim United do not want to lose their manager, who signed a new deal at the end of last season, but are braced for a move from Villa.
OPINION
Villa have got well used to paying off sacked managers as well as compensation to clubs when they appoint a new one. The cash-well has not run dry, despite summer chaos, with the new owners willing to fund a return to the Premier League this season. Is Wilder worth what would surely be a massive payment to United? His track record suggests he is the real deal. The former defender has spent most of his managerial career managing in the lower leagues, enhancing his reputation by overseeing consecutive title-winning campaigns at League Two club Northampton Town in 2015-16 and at then-League One outfit Sheffield United a year later. His second season was just as impressive, as the free-flowing Blades team narrowly missed out on the play-off spots in their first season back in the Championship. This season? United are sitting pretty joint top of the table with 22 points from their opening 11 games. Wilder might not be a sexy name, but, as a two-times Football League title winning manager, he is an accomplished manager at the top of his game.