RANDY Lerner is ready to kick off the search for Gerard Houllier’s successor – with health worries bringing a premature end to the current manager’s claret and blue career.
Villa can now turn their attentions to recruiting and appointing the club’s third manager in under a year now Houllier’s fate has been sensitively resolved by the board.
Everton’s David Moyes, Fulham’s Mark Hughes and Wigan’s Roberto Martinez are among the names Villa are believed to be considering to succeed Houllier in the hot-seat.
Sacked Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, former England boss Steve McClaren and ex-Tottenham chief Martin Jol, who are all free agents, are also thought to be in the frame.
Villa would again prefer a manager with Premier League experience and ideally hope to have the new man in place by mid-June ahead of a potentially hectic period of transfers. In a slight policy shift from the previous recruitment process, Villa would pursue a boss employed by another club if they deemed him to be the best candidate.
Last summer, Villa’s eve-of-season plans were thrown into turmoil by former boss Martin O’Neill’s shock resignation just five days before the 2010-11 campaign kicked off.
This time Lerner has acted decisively to avoid a similar situation by allowing himself time to bring in a new manager well before Villa’s pre-season involvement in the Asia Cup in Hong Kong in late July.
Because of the sensitive nature of Houllier’s medical condition since he was rushed to hospital on April 20, the chairman has tried to balance the current manager’s needs with taking the correct course of action for the club.
Houllier and Villa’s top brass were originally keen for the experienced boss to resume his duties after being encouraged by his recovery and he looked healthy during his first public return to Villa Park last Thursday.
However, last week’s visit now looks to have been a fond farewell because the latest medical advice has ruled it would be in both parties’ interests if his claret and blue tenure ends after just eight months.
