FILE - A Saturday, May 23, 2015 photo from files showing the then Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo prior to the German first division Bundesliga soccer match between Hamburger SV and Schalke 04 in Hamburg, Germany. Roberto Di Matteo has been hired by Aston Villa, it was announced Friday, June 3, 2016, ensuring there will be two Champions League-winning managers in English soccer’s second tier next season after Rafa Benitez opted to stay at Newcastle.
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Roberto Di Matteo was hired Friday by Aston Villa, ensuring there will be two Champions League-winning managers in English soccer's second tier next season after Rafa Benitez opted to stay at Newcastle.
The 46-year-old Italian, who lifted the Champions League trophy and FA Cup with Chelsea in 2012, takes over a Villa side that finished bottom of the Premier League last season and is waiting for soccer authorities to approve a new owner.
Chinese businessman Xia Jiantong has agreed a deal to buy the Birmingham-based club for $87 million, hoping Villa makes an instant return to the Premier League.
"It's a wonderful honor for me to become manager of this great football club and I'm looking forward to the challenge of taking Aston Villa back to its rightful place," Di Matteo said on Villa's website.
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