Aston Villa has a new manager and it’s Steven Gerrard, the 41-year-old, former England international has made a shock move back to the Premier League, this time in the role ofhead coach. Gerrard was coaching Rangers in Scotland and had the club top of the table and preparing for a League Cup semi-final against Hibernian.
Aston Villa sit 16th in the Premier League and have lost their last 5 games in a row dropping them to 7 defeats in the campaign. As a result, Dean Smith was sacked as coach as the club had position themselves with a competitive squad at the start of the season.
In an announcement Gerrard thanked Rangers for allowing him to take over Aston Villa, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everybody associated with Glasgow Rangers for giving me the opportunity to manage such an iconic football club. Helping them secure a record-breaking 55th league title will always hold a special place in my heart. I would like to wish the players, staff and supporters the very best for the future.”
Steven Gerrard takes over Aston Villa
Steven Gerrard is seen with Fashion Sakala during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Motherwell FC and Rangers FC (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Rangers chairman, Douglas Park, took time to thank Gerrard and stated: “He has provided us all with some unforgettable moments, not least his delivery of the Scottish Premiership title back to Ibrox last season having not lost a match in the entire league campaign. In European competition, he has restored the good name and credibility of our club on the continent and leaves us in a very healthy position on the pitch.”
In the meantime, Gerrard is ready for his new challenge of putting Aston Villa back on top of the standings, “Aston Villa is a club with a rich history and tradition in English football and I am immensely proud to become its new head coach. In my conversations with [the owners] Nassef [Sawiris], Wes [Edens] and the rest of the board, it was apparent how ambitious their plans are for the club, and I am looking forward to helping them achieve their aims.”
At Rangers Gerrard achieved a 65% winning record winning 125 games in 193 attempts. During his 2 and a half years in Scotland, Rangers won 1 league title under Gerrard. At Villa Gerrard will have a talented but underachieving squad that will feature, Emiliano Martínez, Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendía, Ashley Young, among others. Gerrard’s first game in charge is slated to be at home to Brighton on November 20th.
