Next Aston Villa Manager: Emery the best bet to succeed Gerrard

• Amorim too expensive for Villa
  
• Pochettino unlikely to be interested
  
• Emery is the perfect fit
  

Aston Villa wasted no time in sacking Steven Gerrard after a dreadful performance and 3-0 defeat to Fulham on Thursday evening, releasing a two-sentence statement within hours of the final whistle at Craven Cottage, but Villa supporters will bemoan how long it took them to react to the club's poor form.

Gerrard should have gone weeks ago. Even aside from results so bad Villa faced a relegation battle despite a £60 million summer spend, the football was aimless; it is fair to say Villa are currently the worst coached team in the Premier League, with no tactical direction beyond a basic grasp of a 4-3-2-1 formation that has always felt out-dated.

The next manager will have to be a tactician. There is no room in the Premier League for an old-school manager like Gerrard, whose reliance on his assistant Michael Beale - who parted in the summer for Queens Park Rangers - was brutally exposed over the last two months.

Here's a rundown of the current favourites to get the job:

Amorim (11/10) may be too difficult to get

One of the most highly-rated young coaches in Europe is 37-year-old Ruben Amorim, who won Sporting CP their first league title in 19 years in 2020/21 and has since impressed in Europe, beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Champions League this season. The Athletic report that Villa are going to make an approach.

But Amorim will be difficult to secure. He turned down Wolves earlier this month reportedly because he is happy at Sporting and Villa may similarly be unable to lure him to the Midlands give Amorim is currently managing a Champions League side. A bigger job is likely to come up in the future, and that's before considering it would cost Villa around £20 million to release him from his Sporting contract.

Amorim plays quite defensive football in Portugal, with a non-pressing and counter-attacking model more similar to that of Antonio Conte than other names on Villa's shortlist. It may not be a style that goes down well with the Villa fans.

Dyche (11/2) doesn't reflect Villa's ambition

The approach to Gerrard last year, and the ambitious shortlist drawn up this time, shows just how highly Aston Villa think of themselves. They believe they can become one of the biggest teams in the Premier League in the coming years and are willing to spend big money to get there, which is why Sean Dyche would look like a backwards step.

If Villa start to get desperate then an approach could be made, but Dyche's defensive football suggests he will take up a fire-fighter role in his next Premier League job. Villa might be in a relegation battle but they will not be willing to act like they are.

Frank (11/2) would be a sensible choice

Aston Villa have had success in the past by raiding Brentford, bringing in Dean Smith and Ollie Watkins in their charge to the Premier League, and they could do a lot worse than repeating the trick with an approach for Thomas Frank.

His unusual brand of direct attacking football with intelligent passing structures is just the sort of detailed coaching Villa need, and there is no doubt that joining Villa would be a step up for Frank. But he is reportedly happy where he is and is currently negotiating a new contract, so Villa need to be careful not to be used as leverage in that negotiation.

Considering the difficulty securing higher names on this list, it could be worth a wager on the Brentford manager taking charge at Villa Park.

Pochettino (9/1) won't be convinced

The dream candidate is Mauricio Pochettino, who despite his difficult time at Paris Saint-Germain remains one of the most talented coaches in world football. There is no doubt his style of high-pressing attacking football and his penchant for using young players would be a huge asset to Villa, a club keen to build towards the top in the way Tottenham Hotspur did under Pochettino.

But despite Pochettino being overlooked for several super-club jobs recently, Villa is surely too low in the pecking order.

Even if the likes of Manchester United or Real Madrid are beyond Pochettino, he should be able to get a job managing a Champions League side, or perhaps an international one after the World Cup.

Villa will try to convince Pochettino with a huge salary and the promise of plenty of money to spend in January, but ultimately there is a ceiling on how high Villa can climb. Pochettino is better off waiting for a big job, and given how long he has already waited there is little reason to assume he will show impatience now.

Emery (13/1) seems the perfect fit

Although it would appear to be just another overly ambitious approach from Villa, who according to multiple reports are looking at Unai Emery, this does feel like a good fit considering his Villarreal project is coming to an end. The Spanish side are only in the Europa Conference League and have made a poor start in La Liga, while Villa would be able to increase his wages.

Emery turned down the Newcastle job because he was dissatisfied by how the story played out in the media and was left unconvinced by the new owners, which tells us he is open - in theory - to moving to a Premier League club not currently playing in Europe. Villa might not be as rich as Newcastle but due to Financial Fair Play they are in roughly the same position.

The former Arsenal manager would also be something of a coup for Villa given his great success in the Europa League at Sevilla and Villarreal. His counter-attacking football is well-suited to a mid-table club hoping to punch above their weight, too. Emery is the best realistic option on the shortlist and his odds will likely shorten over the coming days.