Former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has moved across Great Britain to join English Premier League side Aston Villa as their new manager, ending his three-year stint with the Scottish champions.
Gerrard has been brought in to replace Dean Smith, who was fired only days ago, at the helm of affairs at Villa Park. The 41-year-old has the task of steadying the ship at an Aston Villa side that has lost five consecutive matches and are presently dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Aston Villa were one of the biggest spenders among English clubs in the summer, mainly because they received a handsome sum of £100 million for Jack Grealish. The club signed Argentine playmaker Emiliano Buendia, Jamaican winger Leon Bailey, Danny Ings, and a host of other players.
Steven Gerrard, who led Rangers to their first Scottish league crown in ten years and ended Celtic’s reign of terror in Scotland, must now deliver the required level of performance to return Aston Villa into the top half of the table and possibly challenge for the expanded European places.
Gerrard’s Rangers blitzed the 2020/21 SPFL season as they went undefeated in 38 games, only conceding 13 goals as they did. The Gers are currently leading the league and into the semifinals of the league cup, but Gerrard has decided that it is time to make a move to the next step in his managerial career and signed a two-and-a-half year deal.
The former Liverpool captain has been touted as a tailor-made replacement for Jurgen Klopp at Anfield whenever the German chooses to leave, and this move to Aston Villa makes it a lot easier for Steven Gerrard to acquire Premier League experience before then.
Aston Villa had to pay a reported £3 million to Rangers to get their hands on their man, and they will hope that Gerrard delivers quality football and success to Villa Park after their investment.
