Thierry Henry 'Verbally Agrees' to Take Over at Aston Villa as Owners Consider Replacing Steve Bruce
Thierry Henry has "verbally agreed" terms to succeed Steve Bruce as Aston Villa's new manager, according to the Daily Star.
The new shareholders at Villa Park, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, have expressed doubts that current boss Bruce is the right man to take them back to the Premier League - and are said to have approached Henry over replacing him in the last few days.
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Henry - currently the assistant manager to Roberto Martinez with the Belgian national team - has set his sights on a full-time managerial position since the end of the World Cup and has decided to leave his punditry duties with Sky in a bid to pursue a new job.
Arsenal legend Henry was lauded as one of the key factors for Belgium's World Cup success as they achieved their best result in history, beating England in the third placed playoff round.
It appears that the Villans have drawn inspiration from another Midlands club in the Championship, Derby County, who have appointed green Frank Lampard as their new manager.
Despite sources claiming that Henry has "verbally agreed" to be Villa's new boss, there are still a few steps to go before the deal is done - sacking Bruce being one of them - while matters such as deciding the transfer budget will also be important.
The two new shareholders have their gazes set on returning Villa to Premier League glory, giving the fans good reason to dream big as they said in a recent statement: “We believe that together we can bring business and sports experience that will help strengthen the club to ensure that Aston Villa can return to its rightful place in the upper echelons of English football.”
Sawiris has a reported net worth of £5.2bn and American tycoon Edens is the co-owner of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. The pair have each purchased a 27.5% share in Villa from Chinese businessman Tony Xia, giving them a controlling stake in the club.
They believe that a quick return to the Premier League can increase the club's value five-fold, and bringing in Henry to lead the squad can be the first step.
