Mauricio Pochettino tops list of potential Steven Gerrard replacements at Aston Villa

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019 file photo, Mauricio Pochettino applauds fans after the Champions League group B soccer match between Red Star and Tottenham, at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia. AP

Aston Villa are hunting for a new manager with former Tottenham boss Maurico Pochettino being the favourite to replace Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

Steven Gerrard was sacked on Thursday night just after Villa fell to a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Fulham, with away fans chanting for the Liverpool legend to leave.

Villa are currently above the relegation zone on goal difference after 11 games.

Standard Sports understands that Aston Villa have already started to assess possible replacements with reports emerging that Former Tottenham manager Maurico Pochettino and ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery are the early favourites to replace the Liverpool legend at Villa Park.

The English premier league club are prepared to pay one of the highest salaries in the Premier League to land an elite coach.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard looks dejected after the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Aston Villa at Craven Cottage in London, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Mauricio Pochettino

It is reported that Aston Villa could replace Gerrard with former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino has been out of work since leaving Paris St Germain in July despite winning the first trophies of his managerial career with the club.

Pochettino guided Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid, where they were beaten by Liverpool.

The 50 year-old also lost the 2015 League Cup final to Chelsea before finishing runners-up to their London rivals in the Premier League in 2016-17.

He left Spurs after a disappointing start to the 2019-20 campaign.

FILE - Chelsea's head coach Thomas Tuchel leaves after the Champions League group E soccer match between Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea at the Maksimir stadium in Zagreb, Croatia, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. AP

Thomas Tuchel

Ex-Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel is another high-profile manager who is available and is keen to continue to work in England.

Tuchel was replaced by Brighton's Graham Potter after a poor start to the season following a 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League and a breakdown in relationships with the new co-owners.

In this Monday, March 5, 2018 file photo, PSG's head coach Unai Emery attends a press conference before their Champions League Round of 16 second leg soccer match Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes stadium, in Paris. AP

Unai Emery

Ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery, who was Newcastle's first choice to replace Steve Bruce following the club's Saudi Arabia-backed takeover in October last year, is also being an early favourites to replace Steven Gerrard.

The Spaniard succeeded Arsene Wenger as Gunners manager in May 2018 but left 18 months later following a poor run of results.

The 50-year-old has also won three straight Europa Leagues with Sevilla and also guided Villarreal to Europa League glory in 2020-21 before reaching the last four of the Champions League the following season.

Other names high on the list include:

Thomas Frank, who took Brentford into the Premier League for the first time in their history and helped them to a creditable 13th-place finish last term as they held their own in the top flight.

QPR manager Michale Beale, who on Thursday turned down the chance to take over at Wolves, and also Sean Dyche, 51, who has been out of work since leaving Burnley in April.

Gerrard's journey

Gerrard succeeded Dean Smith as Villa manager in November 2021 after leaving his role at Rangers.

He began his stint at Villa with four wins from his opening six matches but 2022 has been a huge struggle, producing just 32 points from 31 matches.

Despite significant transfer spending, including the capture of his former Liverpool team-mate Philippe Coutinho, Gerrard has been unable to deliver the 'continuous improvement' demanded by chief executive Christian Purslow when the former England captain was hired.

Gerrard led Villa to only 13 wins from 40 games during his 11 months in charge.