By Steve Stammers
Roberto di Matteo has emerged as a front-runner to take over as Aston Villa manager.
Di Matteo – who will be 42 on Tuesday – has yet to hear if he has the job at Chelsea on a full-time basis.
He led the club to a historic Champions League and FA Cup double earlier this month, but it seems that is not enough to be offered the role permanently.
Di Matteo has also made it clear that he would want more than a one-year tenure to introduce his ideas in a long-term project.
The delay by Chelsea has alerted Villa, who are hunting for a successor to Alex McLeish.
Di Matteo has attracted interest from his former club Lazio, but would prefer to stay in England.
He still has his home in England, at Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, which means there would be no upheaval for his family.
Villa’s owner Randy Lerner wants his new appointment to be at the club for the long haul – and Di Matteo is regarded as a man who can unlock the club’s potential.
But former Villa boss Ron Atkinson has warned that whoever Lerner gets to take the helm will face another season of misery – unless they are given the funds to sign a trio of top players.
Atkinson, who steered Villa to the verge of the title in 1993, said: “This is the probably the most threadbare Villa side I can remember in the Premier League and it’s obvious they need players. I felt sorry for Alex McLeish because you can only work with the tools you’ve got and the squad he had just wasn’t good enough.
“They need at least three top-of-the-range players to climb the table and lift the crowd.
“Those supporters were brought up on a bit of glamour and Villa need stars get them excited again.
“Villa is a magnificent club, with a great fanbase and fantastic training facilities. You’d expect any manager offered the job to jump at it.
“But he has to be given money to invest in the team. They are lightweight in midfield and certainly need more quality there. Unless the new boss can spend, it could be no better next season.”
Atkinson says Villa must shake off the mantle of a ‘selling club’.
He added: “Over the last couple of years they’ve lost something like seven top players – and most of them are or would be in the England squad.
“They simply haven’t replaced the likes of James Milner, Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing and Ashley Young.
“Gary Cahill is ex-Villa, and Kyle Walker had a spell at the club too.
“Building a top team isn’t rocket science. You have to have quality players.
“We had good players back in 1992-93 and we were close to being champions.”
Atkinson added: “For Villa to become anything like a top team again they have to bring in players capable of taking on and beating the best in the Premier League.”
