Gerrard is hot favourite to take the reins at Villa
If he’s offered the job, I’m pretty sure he’d take it Chris Sutton
VILLA are ready to make a formal approach to Rangers regarding the services of Steven Gerrard – and it is believed the Gers’ manager would be interested in taking the reins at Villa Park.
Villa sacked head coach Dean Smith over the weekend following a run of poor form, which has left them in the Premier League’s bottom five.
Owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have spent around £300 million on transfers since the club’s return to the Premier League and want to push on in the top flight.
Gerrard has been in charge at Ibrox since 2018 and finally toppled rivals Celtic last term to win Rangers’ first league title in a decade.
The Birmingham Post understands the prospect of returning to the Premier League is an enticing one for Gerrard, irrespective of how settled he is in Glasgow and what he could still achieve north of the border.
Pertinently, one of his assistants is Gary McAllister, who assisted Gerard Houllier – his former Liverpool manager – during the late Frenchman’s time in charge at Villa Park.
Gerrard has two-and-a-half years left on his contract but Villa want their new man in place in time for the visit of Brighton once the international break ends on Saturday week.
Former Villa striker Chris Sutton believes Gerrard could well have come to the end of his shelf life at Rangers. He admires the job Gerrard has done in the blue half of Glasgow but, like Brendan Rodgers when he left Celtic for Leicester, he wonders whether now is the time for the former Liverpool and England star to test himself back in England.
“If you’re asking me if he was offered the job, would he take it? I think he would,” he said. “He’s done a really excellent job at Rangers, stopping Celtic winning 10 in a row.
“He’s been up there three years. Eventually Steven will come down south and, of course, the talk is he’ll end up at Liverpool. I don’t want to call Aston Villa a stepping stone because they’re an enormous club,
but he needs to learn his trade at a club like Aston Villa.
“Gary McAllister had time there under Gerard Houllier so there’s a link. I think, in truth, you manage Celtic, you manage Rangers, and it has a shelf life. I just wonder if Steven Gerrard has come to the end of his shelf life. If he’s offered the job, I’m pretty sure he’d take it.”
However, Sutton’s view is not shared by former Celtic striker Charlie Nicholas, who says Villa would be wasting their time by approaching
Gerrard. “I don’t think there is any merit in Gerrard even contemplating Villa,” he said.
“So, Gerrard is going to swap winning the title with Rangers for a club that he is going to need to build up again, like he did when he first got to Ibrox?
“He would need to build that Villa squad up mentally as much as physically. It would be a kamikaze move for Gerrard to even think about it.
“People will argue it is a Premier League club. I don’t think Gerrard is in a rush to get to the Premier League. Why does he need to be?
“I don’t think he would go unless it was a club that suited him.
“One that was on the rise, where he wouldn’t need to start from scratch and do all the groundwork. I think he is looking for a club where there is a nice platform from which he can build on.”
Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist believes taking the Villa job could wreck Gerrard’s dream of managing Liverpool.
“What if he goes to Villa and it doesn’t work out?” he said.
“He’s got a better chance of success at Rangers than he has at Aston Villa, if he wants the Liverpool job.
“If he goes to Aston Villa and it doesn’t work out, he’s not going to get the Liverpool job.”
Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has taken an alternative view by insisting Gerrard is not ready for the Villa hot seat and the club should be targeting a more established manager.
He suspects Rangers will be powerless to prevent Gerrard moving on should he opt to return to the Premier League, where he achieved iconic status as a player.
“Rangers can play hard ball as much as they want but if there is a release clause in Steven Gerrard’s contract, which will be compensation-based, Rangers will be whistling down the wind about what they can and can’t do,’’ said Jordan.
“For me, it would be a strange appointment because, despite his achievements in Scotland, we’re talking about a potentially good manager.
“We’re talking about a potential elite manager, a potential Premier League manager.
“And if Aston Villa want reality rather than potential, then then they should go for an established manager.
“If Tottenham (who have just hired Antonio Conte) are an elite club, then why can’t Aston Villa, with their wealth and ownership and the size and scale of their club?
“Gerrard is a great name on paper, Gerrard will give them recognisability. But the real pull will be winning games and being near the top of the Premier League.
“Villa are pushing to be an elite club now, which is the reason why they’ve taken Dean out.
“But if you’re going for Gerrard, you’re going for an element of potential. It worries me that it’s too early for Gerrard, he hasn’t finished the job at Rangers, and Villa is probably a job that requires a different set of hands.
“I think he is not at the level yet where he will take Villa to the level they want to be at.”