Aston Villa opted to fire Tim Sherwood as manager following a disastrous start to the Premier League season. While he wasn’t completely to blame for the fact that the team is stuck at the bottom of the table, something had to eventually give for this club and its overall lack of direction.
It wasn’t long ago that Villa was considered a perennial top-six candidate but the club’s fortunes have turned south following the departure of Martin O’Neill and now they are looking for a manager that can help them right the ship. Kevin MacDonald is manning the job for the interim but there is certainly no shortage of candidates out there. The key is finding the right fit.
Here is a look at the most likely candidates as next manager at Aston Villa based on the betting odds.
David Moyes
Moyes is still employed as the manager at Real Sociedad but an unfavorable situation in Spain is among the biggest reasons why he is listed as the favorite to take the job at Villa. Real Sociedad is stuck in the bottom half of the La Liga table and with the pressure mounting, there has been a lot of talk about Moyes potentially leaving his post and returning to the Premier League. The former Everton and Manchester United boss has made it clear that he would like to return to England’s top division at some point and the combination of Real Sociedad’s struggles with his desire to go back to the Premier League, could be enough for him to take the job with Aston Villa.
Nigel Pearson
Pearson has been unemployed since he was fired by Leicester and his availability combined with a pretty decent resume make him a prime candidate as Sherwood’s replacement at Villa Park. It was Pearson’s abrasive nature that ultimately led to his dismissal from Leicester but he helped them return to the Premier League and avoid relegation, so the results were there. When you combine that with the fact that he has said that he will modify his ways, it looks like Pearson could very well be at or near the top of the list of managers that Villa should target.
Brendan Rodgers
The former Liverpool bench boss is suddenly a very hot commodity on the open market as he has been talked about as a potential candidate to take the job at both Villa and Chelsea with a good chance now that he holds out for the latter job. Rodgers was considered a frontrunner for the Villa job but the fact that he could potentially be in line to replace his former mentor Jose Mourinho as the Chelsea manager. Villa would love to have him but it’s clear that they are much further down in the pecking order. Rodgers would rather go to Chelsea but Villa could scoop him up if that job proves unavailable.
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Bob Bradley
The next candidate on this list and a potential darkhorse for the position is the former United States coach Bradley, who is currently coaching Norwegian outfit Stabaek. Bradley would probably be a decent fit at Villa but it looks like if they can have their choice between Moyes, Pearson and Rodgers they are more likely to take one of those three instead.
Remi Garde
A hot name in the running is Remi Garde, who some say is the preferred choice of Aston Villa. He’s been backed by Arsene Wenger, who has publicly encouraged him to take the job. Randy Lerner, the Villa chairman, flew out to sit down and meet with Garde earlier this week, so it’s possible a deal with the Frenchman will come sooner than later.
It’s a big challenge for a first job in the English Premier League but it will be a fairly low pressure situation to start. Villa has just one win so far and is dead last in the standings table. Any coach who takes over will have a grace period of this season to show what they’ve got.
