Figure sacked by West Brom set to join Aston Villa as Reading FC twist emerges | OneFootball

Richard Beale is set to snub Reading in favour of a return to the coaching setup at Aston Villa

Richard Beale is set to re-join Aston Villa as their Under-18's manager, despite having been in talks to become Reading's new assistant boss to Noel Hunt.

Football Insider has reported this twist, with Beale looking for his first job back in football since being sacked by West Brom.

It was expected that the 46-year-old would replace Nigel Gibbs as Noel Hunt's new number two, after Gibbs departed the Royals to take up a role as assistant manager at West Brom after Ryan Mason was appointed in early June.

However, Beale has since rejected Reading, and will join up with Unai Emery and Aston Villa to oversee their exciting Under-18's squad development.

Richard Beale rebuffs Reading FC in favour of Aston Villa return

As per a report from Football Insider, it was expected that Richard Beale would take over as assistant manager at Reading this summer following his departure as Under-21s manager at West Brom.

Beale had experience in the senior dugout whilst at West Brom, taking charge of three games there in 2022 between the reigns of Steve Bruce and Carlos Corberan, winning his opening game against Reading before losing the following two.

The 46-year-old would have provided valuable experience to Noel Hunt, but it seems that Beale will not be joining Reading after all.

Instead, he has opted to take the Under-18's manager role at Aston Villa, a position he held for seven months in 2019.

Beale has a plethora of experience in various youth setups, having worked in various academy roles at Birmingham City for 16 years before his move to their city rivals.

Losing out on Richard Beale is a big blow for Noel Hunt and his Reading FC backroom team

There's an air of optimism surrounding Reading going into next season following Dai Yongge's sale at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, but the summer so far has been filled with knockbacks and departures both on and off the field.

There has been positives, such as the signings of Paudie O'Connor, Mark O'Mahony and Fin Burns, whilst new contracts have been signed by Lewis Wing and Joel Pereira, but there's also been some downsides.

The likes of Amadou Mbengue and Michael Craig have left, with Tyler Bindon returning to Nottingham Forest, with assistant coach Nigel Gibbs departing too - he provided a wealth of experience for Hunt to call upon in the dugout.

Now, Richard Beale is set to reject the offer from the Royals to become their new assistant boss, leaving Hunt without a number two for a while longer as the side returns for pre-season.

Reading will be hoping to make an appointment as soon as possible, but it remains to be seen whether the eventual new assistant will be as good as Beale and his experience could have been.