Aston Villa reportedly considered former Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni before Dean Smith led them into the Premier League.
Andrea Stramaccioni’s entire managerial career appears to have moved in fast-forward.
Hired by Inter Milan at the age of 36 and fired by Inter Milan at the age of 38, one of European football’s unfulfilled coaching talents has bounced from club to club, country to country since his big break at the San Siro ended in disappointment and a first season without European football in 15 years.
Stramacchioni has since lasted 41 games at Udinese, 52 at Panathinaikos and 23 at Sparta Prague. And, after missing out on a chance to prove himself on English shores with Aston Villa a year ago, the Rome-based tactician is now fighting for his future in the faraway land of Iran.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Aston Villa had held talks with Stramaccioni in the summer of 2018 to discuss potentially replacing the increasingly unpopular Steve Bruce in the Midlands.
Villa, it was claimed by Calciomercato, were enthused about the linguistic skills and impressive man-management of a coach who was labelled a mini-Mourinho after succeeding the man himself in Milan.
But it seems that Stramacchioni has more in common with Andre Villas-Boas than the current Tottenham Hotspur boss. And, after Villa instead decided to their faith in boyhood fan Dean Smith (a move which has turned out rather well), Stramacchioni appears further than ever away from a return to one of Europe’s major leagues.
According to Gianluca di Marzio, the 43-year-old is fighting for his future at Iran-based outfit Esteghlal. He resigned last week, blaming the club’s financial problems and sparking a fan protest in the process, but looks set to take up the reigns again a few days on.
It’s fair to say Dean Smith can sit quite comfortably in the Villa Park hotseat.
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