According to Vesti Regiona, Partizan Belgrade boss Savo Milosevic could return to Aston Villa as their manager this summer.
With the global pandemic ongoing, many bizarre stories are emerging. A lack of football and an abundance of time mean that some spurious rumours have been published of late.
These new reports from Serbia now step forward, and can arguably be added to the pile of strange rumours – even though they present some key details.
It’s claimed that there is a ‘great chance’ that Milosevic takes over as Aston Villa boss this summer. They note that Partizan wouldn’t stand in his way given his ties to Villa.
They have even picked out Vuk Rasovic – a former Partizan player and ex-Partizan boss – as a potential replacement. He’s currently managing Al Dhafra in the UAE.
Milosevic would allegedly receive a salary of £2.225million – around £43,000-a-week – as well as a £725,000 bonus if he leads Villa into the Premier League’s top four. A £225,000 bonus would be earned if Villa are relegated and Milosevic leads them back to the top flight.
The detail in the report does lend it some credence. Milosevic joined Villa as a player in 1995, scoring 33 goals in 117 games before leaving for Real Zaragoza in 1998.
There is certainly an emotional connection there. Milosevic’s managerial record isn’t bad either; he’s won 64% of his games in charge, and won the Serbian Cup last year.
However, Villa gave Dean Smith a new deal in November. They backed him until 2023, so it would be a huge shock to see Villa axe Smith – even if they do go down.
Smith is experienced in the Championship and already has one promotion on his CV. Sacking him to gamble on Milosevic would be a huge shock, so we’re ruling this one as unlikely right now.
