A report suggests Rodgers situation at Celtic could convince Aston Villa to pounce.
The Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is ‘leading the race’ to succeed Steve Bruce at Aston Villa, according to the Sun.
The newspaper claims Rodgers is at the top of the Villans list, along with the Villa-supporting Brentford boss Dean Smith, as the Championship club’s hierarchy seek an ‘experienced, preferably British, safe pair of hands’ to lead them back to the Premier League this season.
And it is speculated that Aston Villa may see this as the perfect time to pounce on Rodgers, whose Celtic side have struggled this season amid reports of a strained relationship between the Ulsterman and Peter Lawell, the Bhoys’ chief executive.
But the Sun appears to have ruled out the appointments of Thierry Henry and John Terry – neither of whom are deemed experienced enough options – as well as Paulo Fonseca and Rafa Benitez – who would be reluctant to leave their top division roles.
A renowned youth coach, Rodgers led Swansea City into the Premier League via the Championship play-offs at the start of the decade and came close to ending Liverpool’s title drought before winning back-to-back Scottish Premiership crowns at Celtic Park.
And, despite impressive spells at Walsall and Brentford, Smith’s CV is far less striking than that of the Celtic boss.
Could Aston Villa lure Rodgers away from Celtic?
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