Beale, Emery, Villa
Credit: West Brom/Hasan Karim - Breaking Media
Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent
Tue 8 July 2025 10:12, UK
Richard Beale has agreed to join Aston Villa after changing his mind on accepting an offer from Reading, sources have told Football Insider.
The 46-year-old coach was on the verge of completing a move to the Royals soon after being sacked by West Brom.
But Beale has made a U-turn and is now headed to Premier League big guns Villa instead.
He has accepted a role to be manager of the club’s Under-18s team, a position he previously held for seven months in 2019.
By contrast, he had been in talks to be the assistant manager to Noel Hunt at League One club Reading.
Beale has extensive experience in the youth set-ups of Villa and Birmingham City, and has also been an assistant manager for four years at various clubs.
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Beale snubs Reading to agree Aston Villa terms
Beale has some senior managerial experience to his name, taking caretaker charge of both Birmingham and West Brom for short spells.
In October 2014, the 46-year-old was placed in charge for two games at St Andrews, and in October 2022, he led the Baggies to a Championship win against Reading, before losing his other two matches in the dugout.
It had been expected that Beale would be joining the Royals from West Brom, taking the position of former assistant manager Nigel Gibbs, who had gone in the opposite direction.
However, the Englishman has now rejected the Berkshire-based club and will make the switch to Villa instead.
Beale will make the move to Aston Villa
Charlton Athletic, Millwall and Preston make moves to sign Mathias Ross
Charlton Athletic, Millwall and Preston North End have made approaches for Mathias Ross following his Galatasaray exit, sources have told Football Insider.
The central defender, 24, is available as a free agent after cancelling his contract at the Turkish giants a year early by mutual consent.
Championship trio Millwall, Preston and Charlton have all expressed an interest in bringing Ross to England.
The Dane, who joined Galatasaray from Aalborg BK in the summer of 2022, struggled to break into the Turkish side and has spent the last two seasons out on loan at NEC Nijmegen and Sparta Prague.
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