Aston Villa are in the market for a new manager, with their radar firmly set on former Liverpool star and Rangers manager Steven Gerrard. The club retains confidence in getting their man in before the international break is over.
A managerial merry-go-round is not unfamiliar in football and will continue for a long time.
There has been a spate of job losses by managers in the Premiership this season, with new managers stepping in to take the place of the departed ones. Newcastle already parted ways with Steve Bruce before Daniel Farke left Norwich much recently.
It’s a results business, and when the results stop being the desired, then something has to give. Usually, it is the manager that goes. Painful, sad or regrettable, the buck has to stop somewhere.
Tottenham took a while to get a new manager after letting Jose Mourinho go. They ended up four months into the new season with Antonio Conte, a manager they turned down in the summer.
Aston Villa are confident of getting Gerrard
A spate of poor results saw Dean Smith kicked to the curb by Aston Villa. Despite the summer investment following the sale of Jack Grealish, the team was unable to reach desired targets. Since they beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford, the team spiralled to five losses in a row. The losses were too much to swallow, and the club took action.
After going through several names, Villa has settled for Rangers manager Steven Gerrard. They are confident that they will land their man on a long-term deal. The deal to bring Gerrard to Villa Park may be wrapped up and announced before the week is up.
Everything concerning the Gerrard deal is nothing but speculation at the moment, as both parties have kept mum on the matter. Sources, however, reveal that Rangers have come to terms with losing Gerrard, who joined the club in 2018.
Preparing for Gerrard
It looks almost certain that Gerrard will join Aston Villa. He is the main target for the club amid connections between Villa chief Christian Purslow and the manager.
As per The Guardian, Rangers expect compensation reported to be around £3 million. The Midlands club will not find it an insurmountable hill to cross. Gerrard had two-and-half years left on his current contract, with his deal at Rangers set to expire in the summer of 2024. Villa knew the success of the Englishman would attract interest and have accepted his imminent departure.
Gerrard will likely arrive at Villa with coaches who worked with him at Rangers. Michael Beale and Gary McAllister are part of his coaching crew, with Tom Culshaw and Jordan Milsom completing the numbers.
A list has already surfaced of potential replacements for Gerrard when he leaves Rangers.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
