Nigel Pearson wants Charlton legend Chris Powell to join him at Aston Villa were he to be appointed manager of the club, reports say.

The former Leicester boss has emerged as the strong favourite to succeed Remi Garde after the Frenchman left by mutual consent at the end of March.

The Villans hope to get a head-start ahead of the summer and appoint a manager to take over the side as soon as relegation from the Premier League is confirmed.

And if Pearson was chosen for the Villa Park hotseat, former Charlton manager Powell would be a leading contender to be his assistant, according to the Daily Mail.

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Pearson, 52, has experience with the ex-England left-back having signed him in 2008 as a player, and offered him his first coaching role in the 2009-10 season.

Powell, who made more than 250 appearances for the Addicks, became Charlton boss in January 2011 and guided the club to promotion to the Championship in 2012.

However, he was axed in March 2014 – just three months after Belgian tycoon Roland Duchatelet bought the club.

Powell also spent over a year at Huddersfield and the Daily Mail say his extensive Championship experience is an attractive proposition for Villa.

Aston Villa are nine points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League having won just three games all season and could go down this weekend.

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