Potential new manager Paulo Fonseca's attacking brand of football would excite Aston Villa fans, according to Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

Villa are searching for a new boss after Dean Smith was sacked on Sunday.

Smith was relieved of his duties after Villa's 1-0 defeat to Southampton resulted in them being condemned to a fifth loss in succession.

The 50-year-old admitted after the reverse at St Mary's that Villa needed to turn their form around quickly, but Smith was not given the chance after chief executive Christian Purslow claimed a change in management was needed to give the incoming head coach an opportunity to make a telling impact.

Steven Gerrard and Ralph Hasenhuttl, who are currently in charge of reigning Scottish Premiership champions Rangers and Southampton respectively, are reportedly being considered as potential successors to Smith.

John Terry, Frank Lampard, Nuno Espirito Santo and Lucien Favre have also been name-checked as being in the running to take over the reins at Villa Park.

The links come after Villa had already made informal contact with Fonseca, who describes three-time Premier League title-winning boss Jose Mourinho as his idol, prior to Smith being removed from the dugout.

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What has Luke Hatfield said about Fonseca?

Hatfield believes Fonseca's philosophy would go down well with the Villa fans if he were to be handed the job.

He told GIVEMESPORT: "He likes to play an attacking style of football, from what I've read.

"I can't admit to seeing too much of his football in person or watching too much of it live but, from what I've seen, he likes to play that attacking brand which would be appreciated at Villa.

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"I think they enjoyed the style of play under Dean Smith when it was in full flow and working.

"Fonseca seems like a manager who would suit that style of play."

Why are Villa mulling over appointing Fonseca?

Villa's worrying run of form has seen them fall to within two points of the Premier League drop zone, but Fonseca has an impressive managerial record which would make the Midlands club confident of climbing the table.

The 48-year-old has enjoyed 261 wins from 453 games in the hotseat, winning three Ukrainian league titles in the process.

Those crowns came during his time at the Shakhtar Donetsk helm, where he suffered just 18 defeats in 139 encounters.

If Villa were to appoint Fonseca instead of plumping for one of the other big names linked with the job, they would avoid having to pay a compensation fee as the Portuguese has been without a job since leaving Italian giants Roma at the end of last season.