Aston Villa employed their new manager this week as Dean Smith joined the club from fellow Championship side Brentford.

The Villans had gone a week without a manager after Steve Bruce's sacking and plenty of names were getting linked.

Thierry Henry and Rui Faria seemed to have a good chance of getting the job but, eventually, it was Smith that got the gig.

Brendan Rodgers' name, meanwhile, was also doing the rounds but former player Davie Hay has written in the Glasgow Evening Times to suggest that he would have never left the Bhoys for Villa.

He writes:

"It would appear that he was never approached for the role but also, even if he had been, I suspect he would have viewed it as just too big a risk.

"Villa need someone to go in and taken them straight back into the Premier League and failure to do that would have left him a little isolated."

Despite a sluggish start but the Celts' standards this year, they are still in touch for the title in Scotland and are looking to make more history.

This is perhaps Rodgers' toughest season to date at the club and he'll be looking to underline their dominance this year with another clean sweep of trophies.

The Verdict

Rodgers might have been a good appointment but it was probably unlikely in terms of it actually happening.

He and Celtic want to make a bigger impression in Europe and that is what they'll be looking to do this year as well as preserving their domestic domination.