By Victor Kanayo
Aston Villa eased out Steven Gerrard immediately after the club suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Fulham on Thursday night.
The club confirmed the latest development via its website on Friday morning.
The statement partly read, “Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect.
“We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
The former England captain has been dismissed just 11 months after succeeding Dean Smith at Villa Park, and Villa have targeted former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, with conversations thought to have been held between intermediaries.
Gerrard signed a three-and-a-half-year deal worth about £5.5million per season but despite winning four of his first six matches, it was a dreadful 2022, in which Villa took only 32 points from 31 matches.
They had a net transfer spend of £52m in the summer but are above the relegation zone on goal difference alone – hardly what billionaire owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens were thinking of when Sawiris said the ‘sky is the limit’ for Villa three years ago.
Villa’s next game is at home to Brentford on Sunday, and at this stage it is unclear who will take charge, though Villa may choose to turn to former player Gary McAllister, who was part of Gerrard’s coaching staff.
