Man City and Santa Cruz victims of Lazio smear campaign; Gerard Houllier likely to take Aston Villa job
English Premier League club Manchester City and its striker Roque Santa Cruz are believed to be victims of a smear campaign by Italian club Lazio.
The front man was all but sure to join Serie A side Lazio before Edy Reja, the manager of the Italian outfit, pulled out at the last minute.
It is believed that Reja in the end realised that he had too many strikers in the team, and signing Cruz would not be a wise move and hence decided to pull out. Reja has the likes of Pasquale Foggia, Sergio Floccari, Mauro Zarate and Tommaso Rocchi, all of whom are fit and ready for the new season.
It is reported in the British press that Lazio were in the end not interested in signing Cruz, and just to please their fans, leaked a rumour that Manchester City were asking too much money.
The real reason behind the pulling out is believed to be cold feet from Edy Reja. However, after all that, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini named Santa Cruz in his 25-man squad for the Premier League.
It is believed that Lazio had initially shown interest in signing Santa Cruz, but Reja was reminded by his support staff that he has a long list of strikers and if Cruz is brought to the club, he will be underutilized.
Manchester City showed their anger over the whole episode and said that there was never an issue of the player being overpriced and it was Lazio that decided to end the deal from their end.
Meanwhile, the vacant manager post at Aston Villa continues to attract attention from all corners. There have been a number of candidates mentioned and a few of them were also interviewed. Martin O’Neill left the post after differences with club owner Randy Lerner and the club management. Assistant manager Kevin MacDonald had been handed the responsibility to lead the side on a temporary basis, and is also one of the men who have applied for the full-time role.
Gerard Houllier is believed to be a front-runner for the post. Last week, he was interviewed by the club and is expected to take the job in the next few days.
Houllier left the Premier League in 2004 after 6 years at Liverpool (1998-2004); he is believed to be in the middle of making up his mind about the job.
For now, Houllier is the number one contender for the job at Villa Park, and club owner Randy Lerner is believed to be eager to finalize the deal with the Frenchman.
Last week, Houllier made his way to Birmingham to have an interview with Lerner and the club management. Former West Ham manager Alan Curbishley and caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald were also interviewed last week.
According to the reports, Houllier may be offered a role as a traditional manager, who would only be responsible for the team. Kevin MacDonald may still be kept at Villa to help him settle in, as Kevin has a good relationship and understanding with the current crop of players in the squad.
Houllier, the former Olympique Lyonnais manager, was at Liverpool at the weekend to attend the testimonial match for Jamie Carragher. When asked about the job at Aston Villa, the French manager did not give away much.
Currently, Houllier is a technical director in the French Football Federation, but after the dismal performance of the national team in the 2010 World Cup, his future at the Federation is uncertain.
The final decision is expected to be made within 48 hours, and Houllier remains the favourite candidate to take the job. Barring any last minute complications, the former Liverpool boss should be announced as the new manager for Aston Villa.
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