The top six favourites to become new Aston Villa boss has been revealed as the club sacks their manager Dean Smith after Friday’s defeat.
Villa were defeated 1-0 by Southampton, leaving them in 15th in the Premier League table, picking up 10 points from 11 games played.
It ends a three-year spell at the club, which saw Villa promoted to the Premier League and finish 11th last season.
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ASTON VILLA STATEMENT:
Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that the Club have parted company with Head Coach Dean Smith.
Dean was appointed Villa Head Coach just over three years ago in October 2018 and led the Club back to the Premier League via the play-offs in his first season in charge following a club-record ten-match winning sequence towards the end of that campaign.
The following season, he kept Villa in the top flight while also leading the team out at the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley, narrowly losing 2-1 to Manchester City.
CEO Christian Purslow said: “When Dean joined us in October 2018 our team was really struggling in The Championship. He immediately transformed the atmosphere and performances and achieved the ultimate success of leading Villa back to the Premier League within the same season – a rare feat.
“He then secured our place in the Premier League after a tough campaign and took us to a Cup Final at Wembley.
“However, after a good start to last season, this year we have not seen the continuous improvement in results, performances and league position which we have all been looking for. For this reason we have decided to make a change now to allow time for a new head coach to make an impact.
“The Board would like to sincerely thank Dean for his many excellent achievements, on and off the pitch, during this time. Everyone knows how much Aston Villa means to Dean and his family. He has represented the Club with distinction and dignity – universally liked and respected by everybody associated with Aston Villa – our staff, players and supporters alike. We wish him the very best.”
The process of replacing Dean will now begin and the Club will update supporters in due course.
– STATEMENT ENDS –
Dean Smith vowed to fight on in his job, calling himself a “scrapper” as Aston Villa slipped to a fifth straight defeat at the hands of Southampton.
When asked about his future, Smith said: “I’m a scrapper. Always have been. I’m disappointed we’ve lost five on the spin but we’ve got players out injured. Five of our bench today were academy graduates. We will get players fit during the international break and we’ll be better when we come back.
“You saw what we are all about in the second half. I thought a fair score was a draw. They were the better side in the first half and we had the better of the second. We need more of that front-foot energy and intensity that we saw in the second half.”
So who are the top six favourites to take over form Dean Smith then? Find out for yourself below…
1) Steven Gerrard – 11/8
Steven Gerrard is an English professional football manager and former player who currently manages Scottish Premiership club Rangers. He is considered one of the best midfielders of his generation.
Born in Whiston, Merseyside, Gerrard spent the majority of his playing career as a central midfielder for Liverpool and the England national team, captaining both. He made his competitive debut for Liverpool in 1998. In 2000–01, he helped the club secure an unpredicted treble of cups and was made captain in 2003. In 2005, Gerrard led Liverpool to its fifth European title, being named Man of the Match as Liverpool came from 3–0 down to defeat Milan in the game that went on to become known as the Miracle of Istanbul. The following year, he was named Man of the Match in the 2006 FA Cup Final, which has since been called The Gerrard Final. Both matches are regarded as being amongst the greatest finals of each competition.
In his 17 seasons at Anfield, Gerrard won two FA Cups, three League Cups, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup. He was named the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and won the Ballon d’Or Bronze Award in 2005. Domestically, he was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2006 and the FWA Footballer of the Year in 2009, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year a record eight times. A versatile and well-rounded player, highly regarded for his leadership, Gerrard is the only footballer to score in an FA Cup Final, a League Cup Final, a UEFA Cup Final, and a UEFA Champions League Final, winning on each occasion. On 20 May 2021, Gerrard was officially inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
At international level, Gerrard is England’s fourth-most capped player with 114 caps, scoring 21 goals. He debuted for England in 2000 and went on to play at the UEFA European Championship in 2000, 2004 and 2012 and the FIFA World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2014. He was named as the permanent England captain shortly before UEFA Euro 2012, where he was named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament. Gerrard won his 100th cap in 2012, becoming only the sixth player to reach that milestone for England. He announced his retirement from international football in 2014. After retiring as a player, Gerrard became a coach in the Liverpool Youth Academy and managed the under-18 team over the 2017–18 season. In 2018, he was appointed as manager of Scottish Premiership club Rangers, leading the club to its first league title in 10 years in the 2020–21 season.
Top six favourites to become new Aston Villa boss
2) Paulo Fonseca – 7/2
Paulo Fonseca is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a central defender, currently a manager.
He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 111 matches and three goals over seven seasons, mainly with Estrela da Amadora. He became a manager in 2005, notably winning the 2015–16 Taça de Portugal with Braga as well as three editions of the Ukrainian Premier League with Shakhtar Donetsk.
1º Dezembro – 1 July 2007 until 30 June 2008 – 34 games, 13 wins 11 draws, 10 defeats, 38.24
Odivelas – 30 June 2008 until 1 July 2009 – 35 games, 11 wins, 10 draws, 14 defeats, 31.43 win %
Pinhalnovense – 1 July 2009 until 7 June 2011 – 72 games, 33 wins, 21 draws, 18 defeats, 45.83 win %
Aves – 7 June 2011 until 30 May 2012 – 38 games, 16 wins, 16 draws, 6 defeats, 42.11 win %
Paços de Ferreira – 30 May 2012 until 9 June 2013 – 41 games, 22 wins, 13 draws, 6 defeats, 53.66
Porto – 10 June 2013 until 5 March 2014 – 37 games, 21 wins, 9 draws, 7 defeats, 56.76 win %
Paços de Ferreira – 10 June 2014 until 1 July 2015 – 39 games, 14 wins, 12 draws, 13 defeats, 35.90 win %
Braga – 1 July 2015 until 31 May 2016 – 57 games, 29 wins, 15 draws, 13 defeats, 50.88 win %
Shakhtar Donetsk – 31 May 2016 – until 11 June 2019 – 139 games, 103 wins, 19 draws, 17 defeats, 74.10 win %
Roma – 11 June 2019 until 30 June 2021 – 102 games, 53 wins, 22 draws, 27 defeats 51.96 win %
Total – 594 games, 315 wins, 148 draws, 131 defeats, 53.03 win %
Top six favourites to become new Aston Villa boss
3) Kasper Hjulmand – 4/1
Kasper Hjulmand is a Danish football manager and a former player. He is the head coach for the Denmark national team.
Hjulmand began his playing career with Randers Freja in 1987 where he played four years, and then signed with Herlev IF in the winter of 1992. He played with Herlev IF two seasons and then moved to B.93 in the winter of 1995. He also played for the North Florida Ospreys in 1994, scoring 6 goals in 18 appearances. After three seasons with B93 at the age of 26, Hjulmand was forced to retire as a football player due to a knee injury.
Hjulmand became head coach of Lyngby from 1 January 2006 until 7 July 2008 when he became an assistant coach with FC Nordsjælland. He was named the successor of Morten Wieghorst at FC Nordsjælland taking over from 1 July 2011 until 18 May 2014 when he had his final match as head coach of Nordsjælland; a 2–2 draw against Brøndby. Nordsjælland won their first Danish championship with Hjulmand as head coach.
On 15 May 2014, Hjulmand was confirmed as Thomas Tuchel’s successor at 1. FSV Mainz 05 for the following season. His first two matches in charge was in the Third qualifying round of the Europa League. In the first leg against Asteras Tripoli, Mainz won 1–0, and in the second leg, Mainz lost 3–1 and they got knocked out of the campaign. Then Mainz were knocked out in the first round of the DFB Cup after losing to Chemnitzer FC in a shoot–out. In his first eight league matches, Mainz were undefeated and in third place. After this, Mainz had won only one of their 13 matches and dropped down to 14th place. At this point, on 17 February 2015, he was sacked.[15] His final match was a 4–2 loss to Borussia Dortmund.
On 15 December 2015, it was announced that Hjulmand would return as manager of Nordsjælland as of 1 January 2016. Hjulmand managed to get the team back on track and the club finished 9th in the 2015–16 Danish Superliga. In the following two seasons he led Nordsjælland to a 6th and 3rd place. In January 2019, Hjulmand was linked with RSC Anderlecht, but Nordsjælland wanted a compensation that Anderlecht did not want to pay and instead Fred Rutten was appointed. Following the failed contract with Anderlecht Hjulmand announced that he would leave Nordsjælland in the summer of 2019 at the end of his contract.
On 25 March 2019, Hjulmand left Nordsjælland by mutual consent after having secured a spot in the Championship round of the 2018–19 Danish Superliga.
In June 2019, it was announced that Hjulmand would replace Åge Hareide as manager of the Denmark national football team, when Hareide’s contract expired after the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. Hareide did not lead the team at the Euro 2020, since the tournament was postponed due to the Covid pandemic. In the Euro 2020, he led Denmark to reach the semi-finals, in which they lost 2–1 after extra-time against England.
Top six favourites to become new Aston Villa boss
4) John Terry – 12/1
John Terry is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He was most recently the assistant head coach at the latter. Regarded as one of the best defenders in the world at his peak, he is considered to be one of the greatest central defenders of his generation, as well as one of the best English and Premier League defenders ever.
Terry was named UEFA Club Defender of the Year in 2005, 2008 and 2009, PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2005, and was included in the FIFPro World XI for five consecutive seasons, from 2005 to 2009. He was also named in the all-star squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the only English player to make the team.
Terry is Chelsea’s most successful captain. During his 19 years with the club, he led them to five Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, one UEFA Europa League and one UEFA Champions League title. He is one of five players to have made over 500 appearances for Chelsea and is also the club’s all-time highest scoring defender. In 2007, he became the first captain to lift the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium in Chelsea’s 1–0 win over Manchester United, and also the first player to score an international goal there, scoring a header in England’s 1–1 draw with Brazil. In his final season at Chelsea in 2017, he became the first ever player to captain a team to the Premier League title on five occasions.
Following his departure from Chelsea, Terry spent one season with Aston Villa in the Championship before retiring, ultimately losing the 2018 Championship play-off final. He returned to Aston Villa a few months later as part of new manager Dean Smith’s management team. The side went on to win the 2019 Championship play-off final to be promoted back to the Premier League. Terry left his role in July 2021.
Top six favourites to become new Aston Villa boss
5) Frank Lampard – 14/1
Frank Lampard is an English professional football manager and former player who was the head coach of Premier League club Chelsea from July 2019 until January 2021. He is widely considered to be one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. He has the record of the most goals by a midfielder in the Premier league and scoring the highest number of goals from outside the box (41). In addition he was statistically named the Premier League Player of the Decade from 2000 to 2010.
A creative and technically gifted box-to-box midfielder, Lampard began his career in 1995 at West Ham United, the club where his father, Frank Lampard Sr., also played. He is best known for his time at London rivals Chelsea, whom he signed for in 2001 for £11 million. In his thirteen years with the club, Lampard established himself as a prolific scorer from midfield, becoming Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 211 goals scored in all competitions. Lampard won three Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, four FA Cups, and two Football League Cups. In 2005, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year, and finished runner-up for both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year. After leaving Chelsea, Lampard played for league rivals Manchester City and Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York City FC before retiring in 2017.
Lampard is one of nine players, and the only midfielder, to have scored 150 or more goals in the Premier League. He is fourth in the Premier League’s all-time assists ranking, with 102 assists. Lampard holds a number of additional Chelsea and Premier League records, and has won PFA Fans’ Player of the Year and the FWA Tribute Award. During his career, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year three times, Premier League Player of the Month 4 times, Premier League Player of the Season once and finished as the Premier League’s top assist provider three times, and was named in the FIFPro World XI and a MLS All-Star. After departing, Lampard was named in the Chelsea Team of the Decade as voted for by Chelsea fans, and into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Lampard played 106 matches for the England national team, after making his debut in 1999. He represented his country at three FIFA World Cups – in 2006, 2010 and 2014 – and in UEFA Euro 2004, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament. Lampard scored 29 goals for England, and was voted England Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. He is also England’s most prolific penalty taker, with nine goals scored from the spot. After retiring from international football, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2015 for services to football. After retiring, Lampard served as a team captain on the ITV sport panel show Play to the Whistle from 2015 until 2017. He has also written a number of children’s books. Lampard began his managerial career with Derby County in 2018, leading the club to the final of that season’s Championship play-offs. He was appointed as Chelsea’s head coach a year later, guiding them to fourth place and the FA Cup Final in his first season. However, after a poor run of results, Lampard was dismissed in 2021.
Top six favourites to become new Aston Villa boss
6) Graham Potter – 16/1
Graham Potter is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a left back. He is the head coach of Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
In a 13-year playing career, he made 307 appearances in the Football League. He also played in the Premier League for Southampton and the Football Conference for Shrewsbury Town. At international level, he was capped once for England at under-21 level.
Potter started his managerial career in December 2010 with Swedish club Östersund. He won three promotions and the Svenska Cupen with Östersund, leading them to the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League knockout stage. He was appointed manager of Championship club Swansea City in June 2018, and moved on to Brighton & Hove Albion of the Premier League a year later.
Top six favourites to become new Aston Villa boss
Other names listed as a potential contender include Ralph Hassenhuttl, Nuno Espirito Santo, Daniel Farke, Andre Villas-Boas and Lucien Favre.
Fans have reacted as the top six favourites to become new Aston Villa boss is revealed…
@AVFC_LangeFC: Thanks for everything. My favourite manager in my lifetime. Completely the wrong decision in my opinion and I’m very disappointed in this football club
@__vagabond_____: All of the things this man has done for the club over the last 3 years, this is ridiculously premature.
@danwba_: Listen, Aston villa might not thank me but get the contract out, put it on the table. Let him sign it. Let him write whatever numbers he wants on there, given what he’s done since he’s come in. Dean Smiths at the wheel, man. He’s doing it. He’s doing his thing. Villa are BACK
@rad_nauseam: biggest connection i’ve felt with a manager in a long, long time. a big part of what helped me rediscover my love for the club after years of being out of football altogether. this one hurts, but let’s hope it ends up worth it. up the villa, always. cheers for everything deano x
@Cool_Shirt_Bra: Seriously some of you lot need to have some f*cking respect for our manager for the last 3 years.. he bandaged the club back together ffs
@MellDasho: Wow! A sad day for villa fans everywhere. Thank you Dean for everything you’ve given us in the past 4 years.
@ComboedOW: Thank you Dean for everything you have done. Club Legend but time has come. Will always be welcome back to Villa! Good luck with your future and take El Ghazi with you
@AndyLUFC_: Better then Bielsa they said…?
@tom_avfc1: Thanks for everything gaffer. Will forever be great full💜
@chrisbaker1984: As an outsider looking in, this seems an absolutely ridiculous decision.
@Ronan_JB: Never wanted a manager to succeed more. Gave us our best football in over a decade and some truly great nights that will go down in the folklore of this club. Things turned so quickly but I’ve never wanted a manager to go on and succeed after leaving us more. Top man, sad day
@MufcSumit: More ambitious than United
@Marklh1975: Make no mistake, this man has got us to where we are and demands respect. He just could not push us that little bit further. Thanks so very much for putting Villa back on the map. All the very best for the future.
@SamHargrave6: Can’t be angry at Deano. Great man. Just performances weren’t good enough. Good luck boss 🦁👑
@davestillravin: Sell your best player for a shed load of cash. Blame the manager when he fails to replace him within 6 months. Harsh to say the least. Think Villa have a lot to be thankful from Smith and that’s from a Leeds fan
@NicolaPartridg2: Prob inevitable in the current climate but it remains to be seen if DS was wholly or only partially responsible for recent decisions/current form. Let’s hope those who remain are up to the job in hand. Some of the best memories in recent years are thanks to DS. Thank you, Dean
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