Steve Bruce has reportedly spoken to Aston Villa three times in the last 48 hours.
Former Hull manager Steve Bruce
According to BBC Sport, Steve Bruce has held talks with Aston Villa on three separate occasions over the last 48 hours as he nears becoming Roberto Di Matteo’s replacement.
After just one win in 11 league games, Villa chose to sack manager Di Matteo on Monday morning, shortly after losing 2-0 away at Preston North End.
Roberto Di Matteo and assistant manager Steve Clarke
Having only appointed Di Matteo over the summer, Villa must now look for yet another new manager, having also gone through the likes of Paul Lambert, Tim Sherwood and Remi Garde in recent years.
Owner Tony Xia needs to get this appointment right, and BBC Sport report that Steve Bruce is now the hot favourite to land the job having held talks on three separate occasions over the last 48 hours.
Ex-Hull manager Steve Bruce
The 55-year-old left Hull City over the summer despite having won promotion back to the Premier League, and is now closing in on landing the Villa job ahead of next weekend’s game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Despite Bruce’s links to Villa’ fierce rivals Birmingham City, who he both played for and managed, the former Manchester United ace is believed to be closing in on the job after holding those talks, with Villa’s technical director Steve Round believed to be a big fan of Bruce.
Former Readng Manager Steve Clarke
However, Bruce isn’t the only one in contention; Villa caretaker boss Steve Clarke is also believed to be an option, as he won’t be held accountable for Di Matteo’s failings despite being his assistant.
The decision certainly appears to be between these two managers now, but Bruce seems to be edging ahead after those talks with Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, which included a 20 minute phone call on Friday.
Would you rather see Villa appoint Bruce or Clarke?
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