"?Ex-Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo is believed to the number choice for new Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia as he looks to restore the club to the Premier League and ultimately take the fallen west Midlanders back into Europe.
According to the Daily Mirror, hiring Di Matteo is the number one priority for Xia as soon as the takeover from the Chinese based Recon Group is fully approved by the Premier League and Football League.
In the "?statement that confirmed the sale, it was revealed: "Dr Xia's immediate objective is to return Aston Villa to the Premier League and then to have the club finish in the top six, bringing European football back to Villa Park. He plans to make Aston Villa the most famous football club in China with a huge fan base."
Di Matteo would certainly appear to fit that profile. The retired midfielder has a good record in the Football League, taking MK Dons to the League One play-offs at the first time of asking in his first managerial position, and later guiding West Brom to automatic promotion to the top flight.
After taking over from Andre Villas-Boas at Chelsea in 2012, he then became the manager that achieved what Jose Mourinho famously couldn't in two spells and brought a Champions League title to Stamford Bridge.
Although the likes of Nigel Pearson and David Moyes have both been heavily linked with the job, Di Matteo had been the overwhelming odds-on favourite with bookmakers several weeks before the takeover was confirmed. SkyBet have now suspended betting on the Villa job.
Having previously declared that hiring a new manager would be delayed until a takeover was complete, a formal announcement from Villa with regard to the man who will be leading the club in the Championship in 2016/17 is now expected sooner rather than later.
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