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Aston Villa target technical director after sacking European scout Ian Atkins

Villa have axed European scout Ian Atkins as part of a major shake-up of their recruitment department.

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The 61-year-old is the highest-profile casualty of a cull which has also seen loans manager Tommy Mooney depart along with up to three other scouts.

Atkins was given the news on Wednesday during a meeting at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground in which manager Steve Bruce was present.

It is understood Villa are now set to appoint a new technical director to oversee recruitment, as they look to move in a fresh direction under new owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.

The decision to dispense with Atkins was reached following a summer in which Bruce himself took the lead in signing the likes of Tammy Abraham and Yannick Bolasie, with limited input from the scouting department.

It is thought Atkins and Bruce disagreed over a number of potential targets.

Villa’s need to cut costs is also a factor in the cull, with new chief executive Christian Purslow having carried out an extensive review of the club’s accounts following his appointment last month.

Atkins was appointed by Villa’s former director of football Steve Round in October 2016. Round himself left in July this year, at the height of the club’s financial crisis.

A number of candidates are being considered for the position of technical director, though a move for Leicester’s head of recruitment Eduardo Macia is considered unlikely.