Football rumours: Shakhtar's Fonseca to ride in and rescue Aston Villa?

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The Rumour Mill is not usually one to riff, be-bop and scat all over another man’s pain, but the dismissal of Steve Bruce from Aston Villa on the back of just one win in 10 games has come as a timely blessing on a day when, without it, the gruel that is our transfer tittle-tattle would be decidedly thin. After 102 matches manning the tiller of the good ship Villa, Bruce leaves with the club’s best wishes and – more importantly – a pay-off (some might say a Brucie bonus) of about £2.3m, while the club’s chief executive, Christian Purslow, is left with the task of finding his replacement.

While Thierry Henry has already been installed as the bookies’ favourite to take the job, the Birmingham Mail reports that Paulo Fonseca is a more likely contender. The Shakhtar Donetsk manager was strongly linked with a move to Everton before they appointed Marco Silva last summer. Speculation abounds that Brentford manager Dean Smith, a Villa fan, may also be considered for the role vacated by Bruce, while the name of one John Terry is also being muttered despite his lack of managerial smarts. Newcastle United’s Rafael Benítez and Swansea City’s Graham Potter have also been mentioned as potential successors to replace Bruce in the swivel chair. It is hoped that whoever gets the gig will be in place in time for Villa’s game against Swansea City just after the international break.

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