Next Aston Villa Manager Odds: Mauricio Pochettino favourite to replace Steven Gerrard
*Article updated following the sacking of Steven Gerrard on Thursday 20th October*
Steven Gerrard has become the fifth victim of the 2022/23 Premier League Sack Race following a 3-0 defeat to Fulham.
Gerrard, who lasted 11 months in the job, leaves Villa 17th in the table following a return of just two wins from 11 matches.
The next Aston Villa manager odds feature a cluster of elite candidates who could well be waiting in line to rock up at Villa Park in the wake of the sacking.
Below, we take a closer look at the top three names in the betting...
Next Aston Villa Manager Odds
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69.2%
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13.3%
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10.5%
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8.3%
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6.7%
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6.7%
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5.9%
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5.3%
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4.8%
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4.3%
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4.3%
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4.3%
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3.8%
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3.8%
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3.8%
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3.8%
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3.4%
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2.9%
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2.9%
-
2.9%
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2.9%
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2.4%
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2.4%
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2%
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2%
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2%
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2%
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2%
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1.2%
Mauricio Pochettino
Not only does the former Spurs and PSG manager top this new market, but he's a short-price too at just 8/13 with Paddy Power.
At first you might scoff at Pochettino taking charge of a club hovering just above the drop zone, yet there is so much potential at Villa: their squad is brimming with talent, they are a big and historic club with a hugely passionate fanbase, and they are overseen by ambitious owners who have a few coins in the bank. If the hierarchy can package-up the right deal then they may have a realistic chance of luring Pochettino over to the Midlands.
After all, we all know how much the Argentine wants to return to the Premier League and with no 'top-6 jobs' likely to arise anytime soon, Villa could fancy their chances.
Thomas Tuchel
Similar to Pochettino, the appointment of Thomas Tuchel would be a colossal statement of intent from Aston Villa.
Admittedly, this one is probably less likely than Pochettino, but there's no harm in trying right?
The German led Chelsea to European and World honours during a hugely successful 18-month tenure, which came to an end in September, and he remains available for hire.
The World class manager has since been said to have rejected a couple of Premier League offers and could well be waiting to see what happens with Max Allegri at Juventus and Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich. He's also been linked with the England job should it become available after the 2022 World Cup.
There's no real rush for Tuchel to return just yet, while he's safe in the knowledge that he'll most likely be the leading contender for any top job that arrises in Europe.
Unai Emery
It was around this exact point last year when Unai Emery was on the cusp of returning to the Premier League with Newcastle. In the end, the former Arsenal boss remained in Spain at Villarreal, where he is under contract until June 2023.
Emery would later admit that he was very attracted by the Toon project, but the decision to stay at Villarreal saw him propel his side through to the Champions League semi-finals last season, having previously won the Europa League.
With Emery's contract expiring in the summer, Villa could well swoop in and attempt to convince the Spaniard. He's currently the third-favourite behind Poch and Tuchel at 11/2 with Paddy Power.
Who else features?
Sean Dyche remains unemployed and would surely jump at the chance, ex-Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is around the 20/1 - the same price as Jose Mourinho - while Brentford boss Thomas Frank is also likely to attract interest.
Full odds below...
