Steven Gerrard Next Job Odds: What next for the sacked Aston Villa manager?

Steven Gerrard has suffered the sack for the first time in his managerial career after Aston Villa terminated his contract in the immediate aftermath of the spiritless 3-0 defeat at Fulham.

A breath of fresh air at the start of his Villa tenure, Gerrard became the subject of fan fury this season due to insipid displays, a dearth of goals, questionable tactics, and a failure to get the best out of what, in truth, is a very talented squad.

Gerrard’s fate was sealed on Thursday night when he became the fifth Premier League managerial departure of the season following Scott Parker, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Bruno Lage. At the end of the day, 13 wins from 40 games is ultimately no where near good enough.

Villa will now open up the managerial recruitment books as they bid to search for a new boss for the second successive season. Some pretty elite managers have already been linked in the next Aston Villa manager odds - see below - including Mauricio Pochettino, Unai Emery, and Brentford’s Thomas Frank.

A proud and passionate person, Gerrard will be desperately disappointed with how things turned sour at Villa Park.

After rejuvenating Rangers and tasting glory up in Scotland, he was expected to elevate an ambitious and big-spending Villa to new levels. A 14th-placed finish last season was disappointing, yet there was still a wave of summer optimism that Villa could kick-on this season given the quality nestled within their squad.

That’s not been the case. A meagre return of two wins from 11 matches means Gerrard leaves the club dangling perilously above the relegation zone in 17th. It’s not just the results that have been thoroughly underwhelming, but the performances, which have been dreadful at times especially from an attacking standpoint.

However, you’d like to think that Gerrard will learn from the chastening final couple of months, after all even the very best managers get sacked during their careers. Many in the early stages too, just ask Sir Alex Ferguson.

Now, we are by no means saying that Gerrard will go on to have a stunning managerial career, yet while he’s an easy target for ridicule right now, it would be foolish to write him off as a manager.

So, where could we see the 42-year-old next?

The Premier League?

This is by no means the last we’ve seen of Steven Gerrard in the Premier League dugout. While he might be keen to take a little breather after just over four intense years at Rangers and Villa, there could be more top-flight casualties on the horizon.

Jesse Marsch has come under-fire at Leeds following a seven game winless run, which has seen bookmakers install him as the new favourite for the chop. Ralph Hasenhuttl picked up a huge three points during the week but remains under-fire at Southampton, and Brendan Rodgers has endured a slow start to the season at Leicester, albeit results have improved in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, there’s still a permanent job going at Bournemouth, who continue to be led by interim Gary O’Neill.

Wolves too are also still seeking a new full-time boss, despite announcing that Steve Davis will remain in charge for the rest of 2022 after they failed to lure over Gerrard’s former assistant Michael Beale from Championship high-flyers QPR.

As for Liverpool - yes, we've got to mention it - becoming the Reds manager anytime soon is extremely remote. Gerrard may be the 7/4 favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp if the German left Anfield, however his contract doesn’t expire until 2026. Even if Klopp left before then, it seems extremely unlikely that Liverpool would opt for Gerrard. Way down the line in the future perhaps, but not in the next few years.

How about the Championship?

Speaking of the Championship, there are still jobs up for grabs at West Brom, Cardiff, and Hull. As for Middlesbrough, they are widely reported to be on the cusp of appointing former Man Utd caretaker manager Michael Carrick.

A look further down the league ladder shows there are also vacancies at Exeter, Newport, and Crawley, although these three are probably a stretch.

England?

There could well be a job opening up at national level should The Three Lions underperform at the upcoming World Cup, with Gerrard priced at 14/1 in the next England manager odds should Gareth Southgate leave.

A return to Rangers?

Could a return to Rangers be on the cards?

You’ll have to ask Gers fans how they feel about that one after Gerrard left them for Villa almost a year ago, but with incumbent Giovanni van Bronckhorst feeling the heat, there are growing reports that a vacancy at Ibrox could arise soon. 

The full next Premier League manager to leave odds can be found below...