Simon Grayson has been linked with a move to former club Aston Villa.
Preston North End manager Simon Grayson
According to The Mirror, Preston North End manager Simon Grayson is a candidate to replace Roberto Di Matteo as Aston Villa boss.
Di Matteo lost his job as Villa manager on Monday after just 124 days in the role, with a 2-0 away defeat at Preston North End proving to be his final game in charge of the club.
Simon Grayson in action for Aston Villa
With owner Tony Xia using the international break to try and appoint a new manager, a host of managers have been linked with replacing Di Matteo – and another name can be added to the list.
The Mirror claim that Simon Grayson – who masterminded Preston’s 2-0 win over Villa on Saturday – is a contender for the job as Xia weighs up his options.
Preston North End manager Simon Grayson
Grayson, 46, has impressed since taking charge of Preston in 2013, guiding the Lilywhites to promotion from League One in 2015, and then achieved a top half finish in the Championship last season.
The former Blackpool, Leeds United and Huddersfield Town manager has worked wonders on a small budget at Deepdale, and his side were streets ahead of Villa during Saturday’s victory.
Aston Villa manager Roberto Di Matteo and Preston manager Simon Grayson
It’s now believed that Villa want a manager with a track record of success in the Championship, and Grayson is among the list of candidates along with Mick McCarthy and Steve Bruce, just days after beating Di Matteo.
Whilst it seems unlikely that Grayson would leave Preston right now, he did spend two years with Villa as a player, and a return to Villa Park may at least give him something to think about.
Yet, with a settled job and some bright young players at Deepdale and turmoil at Villa Park, Grayson may prefer to see things through at Preston rather than take a risk with a struggling Villa side.
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