Aston Villa are reportedly set to make an official approach for Rangers boss Steven Gerrard in our search for Dean Smith’s successor.
As per the club’s statement this week, the decision was made to part company with Smith off the back of a five-game losing streak in recent weeks.
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In turn, the search is now underway for his replacement, and it appears as though Villa have identified their primary target.
According to The Telegraph, Gerrard has emerged as our first choice option to fill the managerial void and Villa are poised to make an official approach to prise him away from the Scottish champions.
Further, it’s added that the former Liverpool midfielder is interested in the job, and so it remains to be seen if all parties concerned are able to come to an agreement to allow the switch to materialise.
The report goes on to suggest that Gerrard is ready to speak with Villa if granted permission by Rangers to do so, while his current assistants Gary McAllister and Michael Beale could join him at the club. Additionally, Villa CEO Christian Purslow is said to have told the players that they hope to appoint a new manager by Monday.
On one hand, it’s an exciting potential appointment given Gerrard’s success with Rangers last season, his potential to be a top-class manager in the coming years and his obvious pedigree at the top level during his playing career.
However, it does seem a risky choice given his lack of experience as a manager in the Premier League, and so it’s unclear what part of his CV makes him an entirely convincing pick for us specifically given where Villa are at currently and where we’re trying to get to.
If Villa do appoint him, the club’s faithful will no doubt get behind him. Based on the report above, it certainly seems as though the hierarchy are pushing to make him our new manager and hope to wrap things up in the coming days. The sooner the better too as it will give him as much time as possible with his new squad ahead of our clash with Brighton on November 20.
