Who are the frontrunners to replace Steven Gerrard? Mauricio Pochettino, Unai Emery, and Thomas Tuchel on list

Steven Gerrard was shown the exit door at Aston Villa after his side succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against Fulham on Thursday evening. The Villans have endured a poor start to the Premier League season and leaves them in 17th and only above Wolves in the bottom three on goals scored. Villa are back in action this Sunday when they host Brentford at Villa Park.

Steven Gerrard’s tenure as Aston Villa boss ended abruptly on Thursday evening following an abject performance in a 3-0 defeat away at Fulham.

Gerrard arrived at Villa Park amid plenty of fanfare in November 2021 after leading Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title during the previous campaign and preventing Celtic from winning a 10th title in a row.

However, the challenge south of the border proved to be too great, with the former Liverpool captain leaving a Villains side sitting 17th in the Premier League table and only above the dreaded drop zone by virtue of goals scored.

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So, who are among the frontrunners to replace the former Liverpool and England captain in the hotseat? We give our verdict on the potential runners and riders below.

Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino

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Quite possibly the most glamorous and ‘sexy’ name on the list. The Argentine is fondly remembered by Tottenham fans for his five-and-a-half years in north London, after taking them close to winning both the Premier League and Champions League.

Spurs were Leicester's closest challengers in their stunning 2015/16 title triumph before ultimately finishing third. Pochettino then amassed 86 points for Spurs the following season, as they finished second behind Antonio Conte's Chelsea.

However, it was the club’s stunning run to the 2019 Champions League final which really established him into Tottenham folklore, before losing the final 2-0 to Liverpool. He moved onto Paris Saint-Germain in January 2021, a little over a year after being dismissed by Spurs.

His legacy was somewhat tarnished after failing to win the Ligue 1 title in his first season, but managed to claim France’s top prize the following season ahead of being sacked last summer.

Pochettino is possibly the safest option on paper with his extensive experience of English football, but does he fancy a potential relegation scrap with no prospect of European football any time soon? Villa’s hierarchy may have to sell their long-term vision to lure the Argentine to the West Midlands.

Unai Emery

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The Spaniard is a proven winner and like Pochettino, he has also tasted success in France after leading Paris Saint-Germain to seven trophies, which included the Ligue 1 title in 2017/18.

However, his achievements with the unfancied outfits of Sevilla and Villarreal which have quite rightly drawn more attention.

Emery’s name is synonymous with the Europa League after incredibly managing to win the trophy in three consecutive seasons with Sevilla ahead of his switch to the French capital.

Emery returned to Spain following a season at Arsenal, and won the trophy for a fourth time with Villarreal in 2021. They beat Manchester United on penalties in the final and subsequently lead the Yellow Submarine to the Champions League semi-finals in 2021/22.

Will he be tempted by a return to the Premier League? His solitary season with the Gunners did not go to plan, but his squad were only a point away from securing Champions League football. He could be a shrewd appointment.

Michael Beale

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard with Assistant Head Coach Michael Beale during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Selhurst Park on November 27, 2021 in London, England.

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The highly-rated Queens Park Rangers boss is being linked to another vacant job in the West Midlands, after reportedly turning down the chance to speak to Wolves about their vacant head coach position.

Beale has been hailed as a ‘genius’ by current Hoops and former Brighton defender Leon Balogun, who highlighted his ability to understand the person behind the player.

The 42-year-old could be intrigued by the possibility of returning to Villa Park after previously serving as Gerrard’s assistant last season before taking up the vacant head coach position at Loftus Road.

This would be only his second managerial position in a fascinating coaching career which has taken him to Sao Paulo and Rangers, where he first linked up with Gerrard.

His standing has increased further after leading QPR to the Championship summit, and the appointment of Beale would arguably be the most realistic choice.

Ruben Amorim

Ruben Amorim, allenatore dello Sporting Lisbona

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The 37-year-old has already made big waves during the early stages of his managerial career, with five trophies already to his name.

Amorim won the first major honour as a coach with Braga, leading the side to victory in the 2019/20 Portuguese League Cup with a 1-0 win over Porto.

He moved to his current post as Sporting Lisbon manager in March 2020 following the dismissal of Silas, and subsequently led the side to their first title in 19 years during his first full season at the club. He also led the club to success in the Portuguese League Cup again, with a 1-0 win over former club Braga.

Amorim received plenty of plaudits for that league title in particular, and saw him named as the Primeira Liga’s manager of the season.

The 2021/22 campaign saw Sporting surrender top spot to Porto, but they still ended the season with silverware courtesy of another Portuguese League Cup victory – a 2-1 win over cross-city rivals Benfica.

Amorim’s stock rose further following a 2-0 win over Tottenham in this season’s Champions League, with The Athletic reporting that Villa have opened talks with him about the prospect of replacing Gerrard.

It would be an eye-catching choice and a progressive appointment, bringing in a coach that would surely be excited by the prospect of a Premier League switch.

Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel

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The German has ambitiously been touted as a potential replacement for Gerrard, and his appointment would signify a huge statement of intent from the Villa board.

Like Emery and Pochettino, Tuchel has tasted success in France with Paris Saint-Germain, but a real marker of his achievements came at Chelsea.

He shored up a notoriously leaky Blues defence under Frank Lampard and led the West Londoners to an incredible Champions League title in 2021, beating a much-fancied Manchester City side in the final.

The 49-year-old subsequently won the UEFA Super Cup and World Club Cup last season before he was harshly dismissed from his role at Stamford Bridge in September.

Tuchel’s arrival would be an outstanding appointment, but it is hard to see him heading to a club which is miles away from competing at the highest level.

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