Aston Villa sacked Steve Bruce after supporter unrest culminated in the manager having a cabbage thrown his direction by a disgruntled supporter.
New Villa owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens sanctioned Bruce’s dismissal amid a toxic atmosphere among fans and chief executive Christian Purslow delivered the news at the club’s Bodymoor training ground on Wednesday.
Sportsmail understands John Terry is a genuine contender to take over, although it is unclear whether the former England captain would be comfortable succeeding the manager who took him to Villa. The 37-year-old is studying for his coaching badges and was at Chelsea’s Cobham base watching a youth team game on Wednesday.
Brentford manager Dean Smith has admirers at Villa Park for the style of his team and would come with an affiliation to the club having supported them as a boy.
Agent Jorge Mendes has close links to Sawiris, an Egyptian billionaire, and is expected to propose candidates. Paulo Fonseca, the Shakhtar Donetsk manager, and Carlos Carvalhal, the ex-Swansea boss, are Mendes clients and in the running. Thierry Henry and Graham Potter are options also.
Purslow, who was appointed last month, will be tasked with finding a replacement and Villa are aiming to confirm an appointment in time for the match against Swansea on October 20. The former Liverpool managing director on Wednesday told Bruce he was dismissed along with assistants Colin Calderwood, Steve Agnew, Stephen Clemence, and Gary Walsh, at a cost of £2million.
Villa’s squad had trained as usual and many are said to be saddened at the developments. Tammy Abraham took to Twitter to post two emojis expressing his frustration.
Bruce led Villa to the Championship play-off final last season while operating on a reduced budget and having lost both parents in the space of three months.
But he seemed resigned to his fate after drawing 3-3 with Preston on Tuesday in a match that had fans in all stands of Villa Park chanting for his removal. One supporter threw a cabbage at Bruce before the game and West Midlands Police are investigating.
Villa’s hierarchy decided that allowing the 57-year-old Saturday’s trip to Millwall would be futile and have handed Under-23s manager Kevin MacDonald the reins temporarily.
Sawiris and Edens originally backed Bruce after taking control of the club from Tony Xia in July – amid reports Henry had been sounded out for the role – but the duo signalled their desire for change a fortnight ago by sacking several members of Villa’s scouting staff.