The top brass at Aston Villa are plotting an ambitious raid to try and secure Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez as their new manager after the sacking of Steve Bruce, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Magpies boss has been identified as one of the potential options to fill the void, which was created by Bruce’s exit on Wednesday, although the icy relationship between CEO Christian Purslow and the Spaniard following their time at Liverpool is said to be a stumbling block.
The Villa chief is reported to be plotting talks over not just the vacant seat in the dugout but for a new director of football, who will be involved in securing new signings in the transfer window.
Opinion
It appears as though silly season has started early already in the Villa managerial hunt, for Benitez is simply a non-starter. Not only would he be reluctant to drop into the Championship to a side struggling to get anywhere near the top six – despite Newcastle’s own woes this season – he would also have to overcome the bad blood that remains between him and Purslow, who the Spaniard blames for his eventual exit from Liverpool. It is good to see that the Villa chiefs are keen on appointing a exciting new manager who they believe can take the club to the next level, but they also have to hunt within their boundaries, and right now, there is not a Premier League manager who would choose to move from the top flight to Villa Park. There are some good bosses who are out of work though, so perhaps they should start drawing up a shortlist of those who they feel are good enough before Purslow sits down and holds discussions over their potential new appointment.