Steven Gerrard has been sacked by Aston Villa, who are now on the lookout for a new manager.
Gerrard was dismissed on Thursday night following Villa’s 3-0 thrashing by Fulham. Villa are 17th in the Premier League, just above the relegation zone, having won just two of their 10 matches this season. The 42-year-old lasted less than 12 months in the role after leaving Rangers to succeed Dean Smith.
Villa, who became the third Premier League side currently without a manager, face Brentford on Sunday. They have joined Wolves and Bournemouth in looking for a new boss, with owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens and chief executive Christian Purslow the men in charge of the search.
Here Mirror Football looks at the potential candidates for the vacant role at Villa Park.
Thomas Frank
Sunday’s opponents are quite fitting for Villa, considering the club’s longstanding interest in Brentford manager Thomas Frank. The Athletic reports that Frank is on the Villa board’s longlist to replace Gerrard after four impressive years with the Bees.
Frank has been linked with the Villa job before, but he might take some persuading to leave his current position, given Brentford are in 10th place and much more secure than Villa.
Unai Emery
The former Arsenal boss is another name on the Purslow shortlist – and another tricky one. Emery is currently in charge of Villarreal, who are ninth in La Liga and competing in the Europa Conference League.
The Spaniard was approached by Newcastle earlier in the year, but he could not be tempted to leave Villarreal for another pop at the Premier League. His statement after rejecting them shows the barriers Villa will face.
“The Premier League is an attractive league for all us coaches,” Emery said before explaining that his “respect” for his current side made the difference.
Ruben Amorim
The Athletic reports that Amorim has been made the favourite for the Villa role, in part due to Pochettino's reluctance. The 37-year-old is highly regarded after leading Sporting Lisbon to the Portuguese title in 2020/21. He oversaw a 2-0 win over Tottenham in the Champions League recently and has been linked with the Premier League before.
The Telegraph says Villa have already opened discussions with Amorim and they won't be put off by the large buyout clause in his Sporting contract.
Sean Dyche
A very different style of manager, but an experienced and respected one nonetheless. Dyche has been without a club since being sacked by Burnley in April, having spent nine and a half years with the Lancashire side.
Since then he’s been linked with Bournemouth, after they sacked Scott Parker, Nottingham Forest, before they handed Steve Cooper a new contract, and West Brom, who recently parted company with Steve Bruce. He has not taken any of the aforementioned jobs and, given his success at Burnley on a small budget, is surely a consideration for Villa.
Thomas Tuchel
Villa owners Sawiris and Edens are known to be ambitious and have big plans for the club. That is one of the reasons why they are ready to try and attract big-name managers. Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea earlier in the season and has been linked with a few jobs since then, including back in Germany at Bayer Leverkusen.
Given the whirlwind nature of his summer under the new Chelsea ownership and the difficulty of his personal life – he was recently divorced – Tuchel may be reluctant to jump straight back into a new role, especially one which involves a relegation battle. Reports on Friday morning suggested he would take the same stance as Pochettino in holding out for a Champions League-level role.
Kasper Hjulmand
Villa were strongly linked with Denmark boss Hjulmand last November before they hired Gerrard – in part due to his personal connection with Purslow. Hjulmand remains in charge of Denmark and is doing a fantastic job, having taken them to 10th in the Fifa rankings.
But with the World Cup on the horizon and Denmark brimming with confidence following a 2-0 win over France last month, there is little chance of Hjulmand jumping ship now.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who should Aston Villa appoint as their next manager? Comment below.
John Terry
Could Gerrard be succeeded by his former England teammate? Stranger things have happened and Terry’s connections to the club make this seem plausible.
Terry worked as a coach under Dean Smith and, while he is currently employed as a coaching consultant at Chelsea, he retains managerial ambitions.
“I turned down three jobs last year and interviewed for two more which I didn't get. It's a personal decision that I have come to,” he said in July. "It has always been my ambition to move into football management and, providing the right opportunity presents itself, I feel ready to take up such a challenge."
Chris Wilder
Wilder was sacked by Middlesbrough on October 3 and although the 11-month reign at the Championship club will have damaged his reputation, he is unlikely to be short of job offers due to his success at Sheffield United previously.
The 55-year-old is definitely an outside possibility at Villa, but shouldn’t be entirely discounted.
Scott Parker
Parker was sacked by Bournemouth on August 30. The decision has paid off for the south coast club whose results have picked up dramatically under interim manager Gary O’Neil.
Parker has had two chances in the Premier League before, at Fulham and the Cherries, but he remains highly regarded as a coach. A move to Villa appears unlikely, however, given his recent history and the club’s desire to land a big name.
