After the club revealed yesterday that they had not been in contact with huge favourite Mark Hughes, who resigned his post at Fulham yesterday, the search for a new manager continues. Having quit his job at Craven Cottage, it seemed for all the world that the Welshman would be on his way to Villa Park before both parties denied the reports.Confusion is now high among fans from across the league as to what is going on, with the London club joining neighbours Chelsea and Aston Villa in the hunt for a new boss. The fact that Hughes resigned, under no pressure whatsoever, still must surely mean that he had assurances from else where, with Villa seeming the only realistic option. However, it seems that Gerard Houllier’s departure, followed by Hughes’ resignation the next day, may well just be pure coincidence.
Interestingly the former Man City and Blackburn manager is still favourite amongst the bookies to take the post, with the likes of Betfred and William Hill even offering evens odds that he will take charge. Many Villa fans will be encouraged by the fact that Carlo Ancelotti’s odds have been slashes to make him second favourite and one rumour which has circulated of late is that an unbelievable managerial merry-go-round is set to take place. Some sources suggest that Harry Redknapp is in line to take the vacant Chelsea post after Ancelotti’s sacking, with the Italian to join Villa, and Hughes to take the seat at Spurs. All this is compounded by the fact that former Villa manager Martin O’Neill is now the favourite at Fulham. All a matter of hearsay I must stress but the odds suggest for all four posts suggest it could be on the cards.
A key factor in the is he, isn’t he joining with regards to Mark Hughes was revealed in that Fulham’s departed man cannot talk to other Premier League clubs until June 1. With Randy Lerner hoping to appoint his new man at the helm sooner rather than later, this would surely rule out the favourite and could pave the way for a chasing pack including Ancelotti, Roberto Martinez and Steve McLaren to takeover, the latter of whom would not be a fans favourite that’s for sure. Having been a wanted man amongst Villa fans last month, the faithful may be disappointed to see David Moyes’ odds lengthen to around 7th favourite with most bookmakers, with odds of around 12/1 not ruling him out of the race though.
It’s never easy to keep up with is it?
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