Aston Villa are ‘seriously considering’ putting Roberto Martinez in charge after Dean Smith’s sacking, The Times report.
Martinez to Aston Villa?
Smith was let go by Villa at the weekend, following a run of five successive defeats.
Aston Villa currently sit just above the relegation zone in the Premier League and a loss to Southampton proved to be the final straw for Smith.
The claret and blues are now assessing their options, with the Times saying that four names are on their wishlist.
Villa are looking at Ralph Hasenhuttl, Steven Gerrard and Kasper Hjulmand – but Martinez is also very much in contention.
Martinez has been linked with both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in recent times, and seems to be keen on a return to the Premier League.
The Spanish manager, who has been hailed as ‘brilliant’ by his former chairman Dave Whelan (Telegraph), is currently in charge at Belgium.
He has previously has spells with Wigan Athletic, Swansea City and Everton in English football, where he has recorded 81 Premier League wins in total.
Martinez also is famed for an attacking style of football, which could help to get the best out of the likes of Emiliano Buendia and Danny Ings.
A potential issue?
The issue for Aston Villa could be that Martinez is still keen to remain in charge at Belgium.
Indeed when he was linked with the Newcastle job, there were some suggestion he could retain his current position while managing at St. James’ Park too, at least up until the World Cup in 2022 (Transfer Window Podcast).
Whether Villa would be willing to sanction a similar deal remains to be seen – but it seems Martinez is among the front runners for the job at this stage.
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