ESSENDON immediately has moved onto the front foot in its search for a replacement for Kevin Sheedy, saying it was the most attractive of all the four clubs looking for a new coach.

Club chief executive Peter Jackson last night said: "I think Essendon is the best job going out of the four and we expect people wanting to coach will respond to that."

As the football world came to terms with the fourth coach sacking in a month and the impact of Sheedy's imminent departure, it emerged that:

■Coaching aspirant Michael Voss had been approached unofficially by Carlton, Fremantle and Melbourne and was to spend the weekend considering his immediate future;

■Mark Thompson had knocked back an overture by Geelong to reconsider their handshake agreement not to look at his contract until the end of the season;

■Melbourne will look at both Sheedy and Denis Pagan to move onto its shortlist for a new senior coach, expected to be completed next week;

■Both Sheedy and Essendon vehemently denied reports that the coach of almost 27 years had considered walking out before round 22.

Jackson, who spent the afternoon with the club's new headhunting consultants, sent a veiled hint to the Bombers' former premiership captain Mark Thompson when he said: "If they can't come forward now but they do expect to be available, they are going to have to put their hands up — confidentially, of course.

"It's a great opportunity for someone but we can't necessarily wait until people have finished their finals campaigns. We don't want to get to grand final day and find every other club has a new coach."

Jackson did not rule out the club approaching the likes of recent but contracted premiership coaches such as John Worsfold, Paul Roos or Mark Williams — a former Bombers' assistant coach. "People are going to have to want to do the job and if they consider themselves available, we will talk to them.

"We are professional, we are wealthy, we are stable, we have a great brand and we have some very good players coming through. It's a great opportunity for someone."

Jackson confirmed that Collingwood assistant Guy McKenna would be part of a list of up to a dozen potential new coaches to be looked at by the external consultants. He said that his No. 2 Travis Auld, along with football director Kevin Egan and one other club director, would form a subcommittee to help consider the new coach.

The Bombers also will contract a recently retired premiership player who has played at least 200 games to advise the club on its momentous coming decision.

Those logistical decisions reportedly were reached at Monday night's historic board meeting that voted to move on Sheedy.

Voss continued to firm as the next coach of the Blues despite the club insisting its caretaker coach, Brett Ratten, remained firmly in the mix.

Jackson said Essendon also would look at Voss.