Aston Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner says the club want to appoint a new manager quickly and are seeking a candidate who can lead them back into European contention next season.
The club showed Alex McLeish the door on Monday after a disappointing campaign which saw the Midlanders narrowly sidestep Premier League relegation, finishing 16th.
American chairman Randy Lerner is expected at the club on Wednesday to accelerate the manager hunt, with several candidates having already been linked with the vacant job, including Norwich boss Paul Lambert and Wigan's Roberto Martinez.
Faulkner claims whoever Villa bring in should be aiming for a European place next season and wants a new appointment made as soon as possible.
"Obviously we made a decision very quickly at the end of the season on Alex, so now our aim is to bring somebody in as soon as we can," he said.
"We don't want to hang around now."
Faulkner added: "We're looking to go into next season and be...in there challenging. We should be in that top half of the table and fighting for the European places. Why not?"
The Villa chief feels the vacant post is an attractive prospect for any manager and wants a new boss who can inspire "vibrancy" in their style of play.
"I think we want to find someone who can reinvigorate the club, someone who can bring some vibrancy back to Villa," he added.
"That's what we need and that's what we can get. You want someone who can inspire the players, inspire the fans and deliver on the pitch.
"There's an awful lot of reasons you would want to come to Aston Villa.
"You look at the size of the club, you look at the infrastructure that we have here, both the facility at the training ground and our academy (are among) the best in the country.
"Our stadium is one of the best in the country; we have a fantastic owner who loves the club and has supported his managers, the club's history, the fans are phenomenal. Why would you not want to come here?"
