Aston Villa not interested in Mark Hughes as next manager – report

Mark Hughes – Fulham

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Aston Villa are reportedly not interested in appointing Mark Hughes as their next manager.

According to The Guardian, Hughes had initially been in line to succeed the recently departed Gerard Houllier at Villa Park, but the series of events which led to Hughes’ exit from Fulham this week has unimpressed Villa, who now see Steve McClaren and Martin Jol as the top contenders for the job.

Fulham chairman Mohammed Al-Fayed had been ready to extend Hughes’ contract, but the deal is believed to have collapsed when the west London club were unable to match the fees demanded by his agent, Kia Joorabchian.

A Fulham spokesperson said: “The chairman became increasingly annoyed by Mark positioning himself for another club, whilst still negotiating with us, and having agreed terms.”

Having parted company with Houllier on Wednesday due to health issues, it had been widely expected that Hughes would be the man to replace the former Liverpool boss at the helm.

However, unimpressed by the acrimonious circumstances behind the former Blackburn and Manchester City boss’s departure, Randy Lerner is now looking elsewhere for a replacement, whilst McClaren, Jol and former Villa boss Martin O’Neill are also in contention for the vacancy at Craven Cottage.

Aston Villa’s chief executive Paul Faulkner even made clear to his Fulham counterpart Alistair Mackintosh that the Midlands club did not intend to make a move for Hughes.

Despite this, Hughes chose to activate a clause which allowed him to walk away from the club at the end of June, a move which could now potentially leave the Welshman without a club heading into the new season.

Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Martinez continue to be linked with the vacancy at Villa Park, whilst Gianfranco Zola and Chris Hughton also feature on the Fulham managerial shortlist.

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