Aston Villa could make a shock move for Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca after they sacked Steve Bruce last night.
Brentford’s Dean Smith is the early favourite (5/2) in Paddy Power’s next Aston Villa manager betting having earned rave reviews for the style of play he has overseen at Griffin Park ahead of former Sky Sport pundit and Belgium’s assistant coach Thierry Henry (4/1).
However, Fonseca (9/2) has leap-frogged former Villa player John Terry into third favourite for the job.
The 45-year-old Fonseca has won five trophies since taking charge of Shakhtar in 2016, winning successive league titles and Ukrainian Cups and was previously linked with the Everton job after Sam Allardyce was sacked.
Other names linked with the vacancy include club former England boss Sam Allardyce (10/1), current Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers (10/1) and the former Republic of Ireland & Ipswich gaffer Mick McCarthy (14/1).
Spokesman Paddy Power said:
The betting market for the Aston Villa job is filled with the usual big names, but it’s a less familiar one at the top of the market, in Dean Smith.
“His work with Brentford has been impressive, but Steve Bruce would point out that the Bees are just two points ahead of the Villains in the table.”
*Prices correct at time of publishing
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