Aston Villa Round-Up: Di Matteo edges closer; Long-serving defender on way out?

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According to ESPN, Aston Villa are edging ever closer to naming Roberto Di Matteo as their new manager, with reports saying he could be announced within the next 48 hours.

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The 45-year-old Italian is said to be the first choice for new owner Dr Tony Xia, whose takeover is still yet to be approved, and has reportedly met again with chairman Steve Hollis to discuss taking up the role. Di Matteo has been out of a job since resigning as Schalke manager around a year ago.

With David Moyes and Nigel Pearson rumoured to both have had interviews during what seems like an extensive process since the sacking of Remi Garde, both have now ruled themselves out of taking up Villa Park hot seat. Moyes is thought to prefer a Premier League club or a return to his former club Everton which does seem more likely for a manager of his pedigree. Pearson has now taken over the reigns at Championship club Derby, which leaves Di Matteo the only favourite in what seems to be a one-horse race.

This seems incredibly likely to happen, but with former Villa target Roberto Martinez now looking for a job too, another manager could join the race. Steve Hollis seems stuck on trying to announce a manager by the end of the week and unless he goes for an outsider, Di Matteo could be the new head-honcho at Villa Park for the next season. The attraction of a new challenge, as well as a sizeable transfer budget could be what is attracting the Italian to the job, and with the Villain’s current plight, they should not necessarily expect the luxury of too much choice.

It will be interesting to see how the former West Brom and Chelsea manager would get on in the Championship, as consistent performances require an entirely different set of skills to that which he will be used to in the top flight.

Republic of Ireland International Ciaran Clark could be on his way out of Villa Park this season, according to The Telegraph, the same paper that has reported Villa’s almost successful acquisition of Di Matteo. The defender, who is one of Aston Villa’s longest serving players after being in the academy since the age of 11, apparently has a £5.1 million release clause in his contract.

Clark will be offered a quick return to the Premier League in the form of Sunderland or West Bromwich Albion, with both clubs interested in one of Villa’s better performers last season. The central defender has made 134 Premier League appearances for Villa, but only played 18 times last season, and may seek out a more integral role in a different squad.

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One would think that Aston Villa would have learned from their past mistakes surrounding release clauses after the loss of former captain Fabian Delph for a whimsical amount in the summer transfer window before 2015/16.  With Clark having such a long-standing relationship with the club, he may wish to help the Midlands club to return to their former glory, especially with players such as Richards and Lescott tipped to leave. Rebuilding his confidence at Championship level after Euro 2016 and hopefully forming the back-bone of a much more stoic Villa defence could have a huge contribution towards a promotion push next term.

The Birmingham Mail have reported Dr. Tony Xia’s plans to expand the Villa brand across the world, emulating the style of Manchester City in recent years.

Xia wants to buy a number of clubs across the world, with Villa being the primary one, creating a number of feeder clubs and providing the Birmingham based club with a large array of youngsters from various corners of the globe. This would also allow Villa to send a number of youngsters on loan to various clubs, much like the tactic employed by Chelsea in recent years and to a slightly lesser extent, Manchester City too.

This is a long while off being put into full oprtation, but is very possible as long as Dr. Xia’s take over is actually completed and as long as the Chinese tycoon has the funds for such an effort. More information needs to be given and collected to be able to really find out how much the Recon Group conglomerate is worth and how quickly they can set up this worldwide network. Nonetheless, the future does seem brighter for Aston Villa these days than many would have expected when the Premier League season finished a few weeks ago.

Written by Regan Foy

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/05/26/roberto-di-matteo-on-brink-of-being-appointed-aston-villa-manage/ (includes
Clark)