Dean Smith has been sacked as Aston Villa manager with the club two points above the relegation zone in 15th place.
Having taken just 10 points from their opening 10 games, Villa suffered their fifth defeat on the spin on Friday as they were beaten 1-0 by Southampton thanks to an Adam Armstrong rocket in the third minute.
The club’s hierarchy have opted to axe Smith in a bid to turn the season around, and now the question turns to who his replacement will be.
The club reportedly have no one lined up to take over immediately and are considering Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand.
Analysis: Why Smith’s sacking should come as no surprise
By Daniel Storey, i‘s chief football writer
This is now the first time since 2016 that Aston Villa have lost five straight Premier League matches, the end of a dismal season under Remi Garde and caretaker Eric Black. The idea – with some evidence – was that Villa had left those bad old days behind. The comparison did Dean Smith few favours and, on Sunday lunchtime, he paid the price.
At first glance, it is hard to see where this slump came from. Smith struggled to integrate new players and the defending had fallen off a cliff, but the five-match losing run was preceded by a 3-0 home win against Everton and 1-0 away victory at Old Trafford. In those games, Villa defended stoutly and created chances.
The loss of Douglas Luiz offers a part-explanation: he protects the defence, wins tackles and begins attacking moves. Luiz was on the pitch during three of these five defeats, but the details are a little more damning. He left the pitch against Wolves with the score at 2-0 to Villa. Getting him back fit will be key.
But Smith will not be around to see it. Norwich City had already demonstrated that the final international break until March is a handy time to make a managerial change and Aston Villa’s owners always seemed to be getting a little itchy. They foresaw this as the campaign in which they would kick on from last season and make a push for European qualification. Right now, Villa are as close to the bottom as they are to the top half.
Next Aston Villa manager odds
- John Terry evens
- Paulo Fonseca 7/2
- Frank Lampard 5/1
- Steven Gerrard 12/1
- Nuno Espirito Santo 14/1
- Lucien Favre 16/1
- Scott Parker 16/1
- Graham Potter 20/1
- Ronald Koeman 25/1
- Thierry Henry 25/1
- Andre Villas-Boas 33/1
- Daniel Farke 33/1
- Roy Hodgson 33/1
- Steve Bruce 33/1
- Sam Allardyce 33/1
- Roberto Martinez 33/1
- Marco Silva 40/1
- Jose Mourinho 50/1
Odds via Betfair and correct as of 7 November
John Terry
Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry was a coach under Smith from his appointment as Villa manager in October 2018 until this summer.
Terry left the club in July to focus on becoming a manager in his own right, saying: “It has always been my ambition to move into football management and, providing the right opportunity presents itself, I feel ready to take up such a challenge.”
With an intimate knowledge of both the club and its squad, it is no surprise that Terry is the odds-on favourite for the vacancy.
Paulo Fonseca
Fresh from being widely reported as a contender for the Newcastle United job is former Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma manager Paulo Fonseca.
Fonseca led Roma to the Europa League semi-finals during a two-year stint in charge at the Stadio Olimpico and was Spurs’ first choice to replace Jose Mourinho in the summer.
Despite a contract being agreed, that move was scuppered due to tax issues and Fonseca has remained without a club ever since.
Frank Lampard
Another name to be widely backed for the role is Terry’s former Chelsea and England teammate Frank Lampard.
Lampard broke into management with Derby County in 2018, leading the club to a play-off finish before moving to Chelsea the following summer.
He finished fourth and reached the FA Cup final is his first season but was sacked in late January this year after dropping to ninth.
Steven Gerrard
Reports suggest Villa are interested in Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, whose side are currently top of the Scottish Premiership.
Gerrard has been in charge at Ibrox since June 2018 and last season won the club its first league title since entering administration in 2012.
His ambition to one day manage Liverpool is well-known and a move to the West Midlands would provide the opportunity to prove himself as a Premier League manager.
Nuno Espirito Santo
Nuno has only been out of work for a week or so, but he could be in for an early return to the Premier League with the rivals of his former club Wolves.
His stint as Spurs manager came to an end last week after a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United in what was widely dubbed “El Sackico”.
Nuno was named the Premier League’s manager of the month in August after starting the season with four wins and a draw but his side soon started to splutter, dropping to ninth.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3qgI08w
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