Former midfielder Steven Gerrard has been dismissed from his position as coach of Aston Villa following a 3-0 defeat to Fulham on Thursday, marking the end of the twelfth round of the local football league. The club stated: "Aston Villa confirms that coach Steven Gerrard will leave the club with immediate effect. We thank Steven for his hard work and commitment, and we wish him success in the future."
The Liverpool legend paid the price for the poor performance of the Birmingham team, which currently sits in 17th place in the Premier League table, tied with the first relegation threat, Wolverhampton (9 points). Villa has only won twice out of 11 matches this season. Thursday's loss was the final straw for the club's management, which sacked Gerrard just 11 months after he took charge.
In his 40 matches at the helm of Villa, the 42-year-old coach managed only 13 wins and suffered 19 losses. This is a painful blow at the start of Gerrard's coaching career, as his name was mentioned for a potential replacement for German Jürgen Klopp when the latter's tenure at Liverpool comes to an end.
Gerrard and the players received boos from the fans after the match, noting that he did not find substantial support from the management and fans at Aston Villa, similar to the support he received during his illustrious career with Liverpool as a player and later with Rangers in Scotland.
Gerrard led the team to a 14th place finish last season after arriving from Glasgow Rangers to replace Dean Smith in November 2021 under a three-and-a-half-year contract. The club hoped that the former England midfielder could elevate the team to a comfortable position, but instead, it now faces the threat of relegation to the second tier.
Gerrard secured the Scottish league title with Rangers in 2021, ending Celtic’s decade-long dominance, but he failed to replicate that success at Aston Villa. The team was also hampered by injuries to new players such as Brazilian Diego Carlos and Frenchmen Boubakar Kamara and Lucas Digne.
However, Gerrard received support from his management during the summer transfer window, including the signing of Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho from Spanish side Barcelona. The young coach was unable to meet the "continuous improvement" required by the club's CEO, Christian Purslow.
Gerrard stated in the press conference after the Fulham match that he would fight to keep his position: "I will never give up, whether in football or in life, that's in my DNA. We will see what happens. I will continue to fight until I am told otherwise." However, just minutes after this announcement, Villa announced his dismissal.
British reports indicated that Aston Villa, owned by Egyptian Nassef Sawiris and American Wes Edens, is willing to offer one of the highest salaries in the Premier League to hire a better replacement for Gerrard. Names being considered include Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, the former coach of Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham, as well as German Thomas Tuchel, also a former coach of PSG and Chelsea.
It remains to be seen if Pochettino or Tuchel will be convinced to join a club facing relegation. Other candidates include Spanish Unai Emery, coach of Villarreal who has experience in the Premier League with Arsenal, and Sean Dyche, former Burnley manager.
