One awkward journey home
Steven Gerrard travelled back home with the Aston Villa squad despite being sacked after their defeat to Fulham on Thursday.
Villa were beaten 3-0 at Craven Cottage as the travelling contingent voiced their displeasure at Gerrard and even chanted for him to be “sacked in the morning”.
After the game the former Liverpool midfielder said that he was “a fighter” and that he would “continue to fight unless told differently” but was then sacked moments later after 11 months in charge.
A statement from a club spokesperson said: “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.”
Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 20, 2022
Despite being relieved of his duties, The Athletic reported that Gerrard travelled home with the squad before saying his goodbyes at the club’s training ground.
Gerrard invested heavily into his playing squad this summer, bringing in the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara but was unable to deliver on the pitch and leaves Villa 17th in the table, three points ahead of bottom of the table Nottingham Forest.
The West Midlands club are now searching for a new successor and have some high-profile targets in mind.
Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel are two names that have been sounded out by the Villa board, but whether they are realistic targets remains to be seen.
Unai Emery – who turned down Newcastle United last season – is also a name rumoured to be in contention as well as Brentford’s Thomas Frank.
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