David O'Leary today broke his silence on the Fulham manager's job and revealed he would happily open talks with managerless clubs if officially approached.
Cottagers chairman Mohamed Al Fayed tore up Jean Tigana's possible two-year contract extension on Wednesday. The Frenchman's last game in charge will now be the season-ending May 11th date at Charlton.
O'Leary, freed to return to coaching when he agreed his pay-off with Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale, is 11/2 third favourite to become Tigana's successor with bookmakers William Hill - behind ex-Chelsea and Watford boss Gianluca Vialli and current Reading manager Alan Pardew.
O'Leary insisted: "I can't wait to get back into it (management) and the sooner the better. I'll speak to anyone who gets in touch with me in confidence. I won't say no to anybody.
"Everybody will get a fair hearing. They would be interested in what I've got to say and I'd like to hear what they've got to say.
"I hope a job comes in the summer. I've settled with Leeds, can take another job and I want to get back in (to management).
"I've got an open view but, ideally, I'd like to get back into the Premiership where I managed for four years and thought I did a good job.
"My dad asked me if he should be go to the bookies and put €100 on - but I know nothing about it (the Fulham job) now."
Fulham chief executive Bruce Langham heads a panel of senior club officials drawing up a short-list of names to hand to Al Fayed.
The Londoners have described the man they are searching for as "the next David Moyes" - suggesting O'Leary might only come into the reckoning if Al Fayed decides to opt for another high-profile figure to follow Kevin Keegan and Tigana.
O'Leary emphasised his representative Michael Kennedy has not approached Fulham and attacked rogue agents claiming to work for him.
"I've been told three agents have already gone in to represent me at Fulham," he said. "That's totally diabolical as only one man represents me and that's Michael Kennedy, who's done so for 28 years."