Besiktas are reportedly considering Steven Gerrard as a potential new boss amid claims current manager Valerian Ismael has left the Turkish club.
Gerrard was dumped onto the managerial scrapheap last week as Aston Villa cut ties with the former Rangers gaffer after just 11 months in the job. The 42-year-old oversaw a string of poor results this season and a 3-0 drubbing from Fulham - leaving Villa with just one win in eight - proved the final straw for the club hierarchy.
With Giovanni van Bronckhorst under severe pressure at Ibrox, there's been speculation Gerrard could make a spectacular return to Glasgow. However, Besiktas could be the first club to make a serious move for the ex-Liverpool captain, according to Bein Sports. It's claimed Gerrard has made their shortlist of candidates to replace Ismael as reports indicate his contract has been terminated by mutual consent. Experienced boss Şenol Güneş, who previously managed Besiktas between 2015 and 2019, and Dynamo Kiev manager Mircea Lucescu are the two other options cited in the report, alongside two further unnamed candidates.
Bein Sports' Gürler Akgün said on a Tuesday afternoon broadcast: "An offer has been made to Valerien Ismael to terminate the contract. Besides Şenol Güneş, Steven Gerrard, Mircea Lucescu, two names currently working in Spor Toto Süper Lig are on the agenda."
Besiktas have made a stuttering start to the new campaign, sitting in fifth - four points behind leaders Fenerbahce having played a game more. A 2-1 defeat away at lowly Hatayaspor on Sunday appears to have drastically changed the mood music at Vodafone Park and there's excitement from Turkish media that the club could now make a play for Gerrard.
He left Rangers just under a year ago, mere months after winning the club's first Premiership title in over a decade. This season, a series of hammerings in the Champions League coupled with indifferent domestic form has heaped pressure on Van Bronckhorst, who led the club to the Europa League Final and a Scottish Cup success last season. He next faces a daunting Champions League clash away at Serie A leaders Napoli on Wednesday night.
