Bob Bradley a good bet to take over at Aston Villa after O’Neill quits
While it came as a surprise that Martin O’Neill quit as manager of Aston Villa on Aug. 9, just five days before the English Premier League kicks off, it wasn’t a shock to hear that Sven Goran Eriksson is interested in the job. Sven, as we all know, is interested in any and all jobs as long as the money’s right. I’m sure he’d manage your local Girl Guide team if it enabled him to fatten his bank account.
But at the moment, speculation is running rampant that Bob Bradley, the current manager of the U.S. national team, is the front runner for the job. Bradley has said in the past that he loves new challenges and would like to give managing in Europe a shot sometime in the near future. Bradley just guided USA to a group win in the World Cup, just to get knocked out by Ghana in the play-offs.
It’s believed that O’Neill walked out on Villa after four years in charge following a disagreement with owner Randy Lerner about the club’s transfer policy and lack of funds for new players. However, it’s still a bit of a childish move to pull off just before the season kicks off. It looks like Villa may possibly sell James Milner and Ashley young sometime soon and O’Neill wanted the money to buy a couple of replacements, but none of those moves are official as of yet.
O’Neill stated that he enjoyed his time with Villa and thanked the players, coaches, and supporters and wished them luck in the future. The team then announced that reserve team manager Kevin MacDonald will take over the club for the opening game of the at home against West Ham on Aug. 14. The club’s chief executive Paul Faulkner thanked O’Neill for everything he’s done at the club and also wished the Irishman the best for the future.
Bet on who will become the new Aston Villa manager
While Bradley’s a popular choice to take over the reins, most sports books are also listing Eriksson, Jurgen Klinsmann, Alan Curbishley, and Gareth Southgate as possibilities. William Hill has the odds of Bradley taking over listed as 11/4, with Eriksson, Klinsmann, and Curbishley at 6/1 and Southgate at 7/1.
