Next Aston Villa Manager Odds: Pochettino Favourite After Gerrard Sacking
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Aston Villa are on the lookout for a new manager and UK betting sites believe there are a number of candidates for the role.
Villa wasted little time in dismissing Steven Gerrard following a 3-0 defeat by Fulham on Thursday night.
The axe fell just hours after the final whistle at Craven Cottage, and the race is now on to replace the former Rangers head coach.
Gerrard will no doubt believe he could have turned the situation around, but Villa did not expect to be outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone after 11 rounds of fixtures.
The club was in a similar position when Gerrard replaced Dean Smith around 12 months ago, and there has been little progress since then in spite of the large sums that Villa have spent on new players.
Who will be next through the door at Villa Park? Let’s have a look at the leading contenders for the job.
Pochettino The Favourite But Villa Need Powers Of Persuasion
Even before Gerrard was sacked, Mauricio Pochettino had emerged as the favourite to take charge.
He can now be backed at 7/4 with football betting sites to get the job, as Villa attempt to persuade the former Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur boss to return for a third spell in the Premier League.
Pochettino’s last job was with Paris Saint-Germain, but he never seemed truly happy in the French capital.
The Argentine was much better suited to the nature of the role at Spurs, where he was given the power to shape a squad to his liking and take on more established powers such as Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool.
It is not hard to see why Villa admire Pochettino, but it is unclear if the feeling is mutual.
After all, this is a manager who won silverware at the Parc des Princes while working alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi just last season.
A possible relegation battle at Villa Park might not look too attractive in that light.
Beale Rejected Wolves But Could Be Tempted By Villa Challenge
Mick Beale suddenly became the odds-on favourite to take over at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday, but the Queens Park Rangers boss ultimately decided to stay put.
In an interview published by the club’s official Twitter account, he insisted that he has unfinished business at Loftus Road having only taken the reins in the summer.
However, the lure of Villa could prove too strong for Beale to resist.
😅 The interview we've all been waiting for...
— QPR FC (@QPR) October 20, 2022
Boss 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲 discusses his QPR future 🙌 #QPR | @MichaelBeale pic.twitter.com/FmyVgy9XZJ
He was brought to the club as part of Gerrard’s coaching team last season and his move to QPR was seen as a major blow to the former Liverpool midfielder, such was Beale’s importance within the setup.
Villa may now try to get him back - and they are given a 4/1 shot of succeeding with BetVictor.
The problem for Beale is that he very publicly committed his short-term future to QPR a few days ago and it would be hard for him to go back on his word so soon.
Frank And Dyche Both Have Premier League Experience
Villa will almost certainly have a caretaker manager in charge when they take on Brentford on Sunday.
The man in the away team’s dugout, Thomas Frank, is priced at 4/1 with betting apps to succeed Gerrard on a permanent basis.
The Dane has done a fantastic job in west London, leading Brentford to promotion in 2020/21 and then keeping them in the Premier League last term.
Villa are a bigger club than his current employers, but the Bees are an extremely well-run side and Frank may be loath to leave that behind.
Sean Dyche, listed at 5/1 with Betfair, is out of work and would no doubt jump at the chance to join Villa.
The main doubt surrounding his candidacy is the former Burnley boss’ style of play, which is not quite as easy on the eye as many supporters would like.
But Dyche did superbly in his previous job and would surely get more out of the Villa squad than Gerrard did.
Emery Has Unfinished Business In English Football
Unai Emery came very close to taking over at Newcastle United last season.
That came as something of a surprise at the time, but the Spaniard feels he has unfinished business in the Premier League after his disappointing spell at the helm of Arsenal.
Emery’s track record aside from his ill-fated time with the Gunners is excellent, although there are still doubts over how well he would do outside of Spain the second time around.
Paddy Power have a price of 6/1 on the current Villarreal manager being the next manager of Villa.
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