EMBATTLED West Coast boss Trevor Nisbett has become a prime target of the recruitment agency seeking a new chief executive for the Melbourne Football Club.

The Slade Group has approached Nisbett in relation to filling the position left vacant after the shock departure of Demons chief executive Steve Harris.

The firm also has other AFL chief executives in its sights, including Geelong's Brian Cook, who is on leave and was unable to be contacted yesterday.

Fremantle chief executive Cameron Schwab, who worked at the Demons for 11 years, confirmed he had been approached but declined to be involved in the selection process as he was committed to a premiership charge by the Dockers.

It is believed Nisbett is yet to respond to Slade, but is expected do so by early next week.

He declined to comment on his future yesterday.

Nisbett oversaw an astounding record annual profit at West Coast of more than $6.5 million following its 2006 premiership and it is believed the Eagles again are marching towards a profit this year of close to $4 million, despite the recent drug scandals that have shaken the club to the core.

That furore has put intense pressure on Nisbett's tenure, with the AFL Commission set to consider next Monday an independent investigation into West Coast players' off-field activities. The club yesterday also released details of its own inquiry, which highlighted several management flaws.

Nisbett has held the chief executive post since Cook left the job to join Geelong in 1999.

Slade chairman Geoff Slade yesterday revealed a list of about 20 candidates had been shown to the Melbourne board. It will be cut to a shortlist of up to six with a decision expected within six weeks.

"We'd certainly be interested in them," Slade said of Nisbett and Cook. "They'd be difficult to move, but I recruited Cooky (Brian Cook) out of West Coast and he was difficult to move, but we got him in the end."

Slade's head of sports practice, Laurie Serafini, who is handling the recruiting drive, said candidates from within the AFL, other sports and the corporate world were being chased. The company recently helped deliver Western Bulldogs football general manager James Fantasia to Whitten Oval, as well as five key administrators to Richmond.

It also was instrumental in hiring Geelong's football operations manager Neil Balme and luring his Carlton counterpart Steven Icke from Fremantle.

Icke, who played 78 games for Melbourne between 1982 and 1987, also has been linked with the Demons job.

Serafini said the new boss would inherit an enviable position. "It's a brilliant opportunity for the right person to be associated with an iconic Melbourne football club celebrating its 150th anniversary this year with a brand-new coach and football department," he said.

Schwab, who remains close friends with new Melbourne football operations manager and former Dockers coach Chris Connolly, agreed.

"I see the Melbourne footy club as having terrific upside and it would be a great job for the right person because I've been involved in the club and it's got enormous tradition," Schwab said.

"But I'm very committed to Fremantle and what we're doing. We've worked hard to get it to a point where we can really start to explore some new and important strategies."

WEST AUSTRALIAN