Bees boss touted for Aston Villa job – but who are the other possible candidates?

Brentford boss Dean Smith is among the favourites to take over at Aston Villa following their sacking of Steve Bruce.

Villa hoped to challenge for promotion after significant financial backing from investors NSWE over the summer.

But results have been poor and Bruce has paid the price, leaving Villa searching for a new manager.

Smith, a Villa fan, is inevitably being touted as a front-runner for the job, having overseen a brand of attacking football at Brentford which has seen the Bees challenge in the top half of the Championship.

But who are the other possible contenders for the Villa hotseat?

Thierry Henry

Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, the billionaires who control NSWE, reportedly wanted Henry this summer, which could indicate they want to put their own stamp on the club. Henry left his lucrative job as a pundit on Sky Sports at the end of last season amid plans to become a manager after earning his stripes at former club Arsenal and, more recently, with Belgium as assistant to Roberto Martinez. The 41-year-old was reportedly set to take his first step in management at Ligue 1 club Bordeaux this summer but that never materialised.

Claudio Ranieri

The former Chelsea boss is no spring chicken at 66 but has vast experience and is available having left French club Nantes at the end of the season. Could the man who guided Leicester to their incredible title triumph return to the Midlands?

John Terry

Another former Chelsea man to have been linked with the job, Terry spent last season with Villa and is keen to enter management, although he has been tipped to return to Stamford Bridge in a coaching capacity.

Andrea Stramaccioni

Reports in Italy last month claimed that the former Inter boss is on Villa’s radar. Stramaccioni is best-known for his mixed time at San Siro, where he impressed while in charge of the club’s youth teams but could not replicate his success with the senior squad. The 42-year-old left Inter after just one season in charge and has since had unsuccessful stints at Udinese, Panathinaikos and Sparta Prague.

Paulo Fonseca

The former Porto defender, currently in charge at Shakhtar Donetsk, is also reportedly on Villa’s radar.