The Aston Villa Manager Search: Separating Contenders From Pretenders

By Josh Tonti | Oct 4, 2018

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - OCTOBER 17: Paulo Fonseca, Manager of Shakhtar Donetsk gives his team instructions during the UEFA Champions League group F match between Feyenoord and Shakhtar Donetsk at Feijenoord Stadion on October 17, 2017 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) /

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Fonseca, Smith, Pearson, Ranieri, McCarthy, Terry, Henry, and several others rumored. Let’s make sense of it all and separate fact from fiction.

The Aston Villa manager search is up and running in stride. Chief Executive Officer Christian Purslow, aided by Chairmen Nassef Sawiris, Wes Edens, Tony Xia, presumably drew up contingency plans in the last two weeks or so, as results staggered.

Like any coaching search, we’ll see and hear from a variety of sources as the rumor mill churns. The next FIFA International Window runs from October 8th to the 16th. Expect the club to make an announcement at that time as league matches are paused for the weekend. Under-23 coach Kevin MacDonald will take charge for the lone match this coming Saturday, away to Millwall.

Let’s separate fact from fiction as we breakdown the early candidates, gambling trends, and general fit at Aston Villa.

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