Former Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has discovered whether he will take charge of Poland following discussions with the country’s FA.
Gerrard became a free agent on October 20 when he was sacked by Aston Villa. That came after they had won just twice in the Premier League from 12 matches. The final blow was a dismal 3-0 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage, with Gerrard getting the axe soon after.
A club statement read: ‘Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect.’
Former Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has discovered whether he will take charge of Poland following discussions with the country’s FA.
Gerrard became a free agent on October 20 when he was sacked by Aston Villa. That came after they had won just twice in the Premier League from 12 matches. The final blow was a dismal 3-0 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage, with Gerrard getting the axe soon after.
A club statement read: ‘Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect.’
A spokesman for the Villans added: “We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
Spaniard Unai Emery replaced Gerrard, and he has done a great job so far. Villa have won four out of their nine matches since Emery took charge, which includes victories against Manchester United and Tottenham.
Gerrard, meanwhile, is busy looking for his next managerial role as he looks to get his career back on track. He surprisingly became a candidate for the Poland national team job on January 11.
The Polish FA are searching for Czeslaw Michniewicz’s replacement. The 52-year-old stepped down at the end of last year.
Becoming Poland manager would see Gerrard reunite with Villa right-back Matty Cash, who switched allegiances to Poland in October 2021 and has since won 12 caps.
Unfortunately for Gerrard, he has missed out on becoming Poland’s next boss. Cezary Kulesza, president of the Polish FA, has revealed the new manager must have experience working with a national team, something Gerrard lacks.
Steven Gerrard fails to convince Poland chiefs
“The candidate is from abroad,” Kulesza admitted during an interview with Polish outlet RMF FM (via Goal). “I would like the decision to be made today or tomorrow, but it depends on the other party. The most important criterion was whether he had previously led a national team.”
Gerrard’s Premier League experience, as well as his huge success at Rangers, will have made him an attractive prospect for Poland. But ultimately, they want someone who has experience managing at international tournaments such as the World Cup and Euros. As such, the former Liverpool midfielder was rejected.
It will be interesting to see where Gerrard goes from here. He may feel he is too good for a Championship job and will instead push to join another top-flight club.
But such teams will be wary about taking him on board following his disastrous spell at Villa Park.
Gerrard’s reputation as a manager was on the up during his time at Rangers. He helped the Scottish club to win the Premiership title in 2020-21, during which they also went undefeated. This is one of the main reasons why Villa were convinced to bring him.
But the Anfield legend could not replicate that same success with Villa. The football was dreary and Gerrard was accused of never having a Plan B. Due to this, Villa fans soon wanted him gone.
While Villa are on the up under Emery, it may be a little while before we see Gerrard back in management after this setback.
Meanwhile, a former Everton attacker is in talks with Villa as Emery hopes to sign him.
