Journalist Tom Barclay has admitted that Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl could have been interested in filling the vacant manager's position at Aston Villa.
The Austrian masterminded a 1-0 win over Villa last Friday, which proved to be Dean Smith's final game in charge, as he was sacked two days later.
What's the latest news involving Hasenhuttl?
In the days since Smith left his post, a number of high-profile names have been linked with replacing him, including Rangers boss Steven Gerrard and Belgium national team manager Roberto Martinez, with the former expected to now take the role.
It is also understood that Hasenhuttl was being considered by Villa's hierarchy, though, as they look to get a manager in place as quickly as possible during the international break.
What has Barclay said about Hasenhuttl being linked with Villa?
Barclay has acknowledged that Villa have a larger fanbase than Southampton, and has hinted that the Midlands club may have promised Hasenhuttl more money to spend than their Premier League rivals, which could have tempted him to leave St Mary's.
Speaking about the current statuses of the two clubs, Barclay told GIVEMESPORT: “Southampton, under this ownership are never going to be putting in bundles of cash in terms of wages and obviously transfer fees. So, I guess that’s always a possibility that you could be tempted, and Villa’s a huge club.
“I think it’s probably a bigger club than Southampton in terms of fanbase and how most other fans of other clubs are more interested in them. And obviously they spent a lot of money in the summer, albeit a lot of it was the Jack Grealish money. So, it would be a very attractive job for anyone.”
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Would Hasenhuttl have been wise to switch Southampton for Villa?
If Hasenhuttl had opted to move to Villa, he may have had some early teething problems.
After all, they have lost their last five league matches, while Southampton have won three of their last four, and are flying at the moment. The atmosphere at the two clubs could hardly be much different.
Then again, if he got past those potential issues, it could have actually been a good switch for him. As Barclay alluded to, Villa are a big club, who are one of only five English sides to lift the European Cup.
It seems that their owners want to bring the glory days back to Villa Park, as they spent almost £90m in the summer, whereas Hasenhuttl was given less than £40m on the South Coast.
The Austrian coach has shown what he can do on a limited budget, and if he was properly backed by Villa's owners he could have done an even better job at Villa Park.
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