Aston Villa have decided to part ways with manager Dean Smith after three years in charge – and Paulo Fonseca is already being linked with the job.
Villa announced on Sunday afternoon that Smith had been sacked after a run of five straight defeats.
Friday’s 1-0 defeat at Southampton proved to be the end of the road for Smith, who now leaves his boyhood club.
Villa will now be looking for another manager to take the club forward, and they could end up going back to an old target.
The Daily Mail report that Villa made contact with Fonseca last week, seemingly knowing that Smith would be going.
Fonseca has missed out on jobs at Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, but Villa could be the one for him.
Villa have wanted Fonseca since 2018
When Villa sacked Steve Bruce in October 2018, they ended up appointing Smith to replace him.
However, Smith wasn’t the only candidate for the job.
The Birmingham Mail reported in 2018 that Villa were hoping to lure Fonseca away from Shakhtar Donetsk.
That didn’t happen in the end, and Fonseca joined Roma after winning three league titles in Ukraine.
Fonseca is now out of work after leaving Roma at the end of last season, and Villa can finally get their man.
Seemingly desperate to work in England, Fonseca would surely jump at the chance to manage Villa.
Decision-makers at Villa Park have fancied Fonseca for a while now, and they now have the perfect chance to get him in having already spoken to his camp about replacing Smith.
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