Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is ‘ready’ to accept Aston Villa’s offer to replace Dean Smith at Villa Park.
And he is keen to bring some Ibrox stars with him to the Midlands, according to Hamish Azul of The Economist.
The Lowdown: Gerrard at Rangers…
Gerrard leaped into first-team management when he joined Rangers back in 2018 and hasn’t looked back since.
The 41-year-old, who likes to use an attacking 4-3-3 system, has won 124 of his 192 games as a boss in Scotland, winning the club’s first Premiership title for 10 years last season.
His team are once again top of the table during the current campaign ahead of rivals Celtic, and despite reports previously suggesting that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp may have a say in any move to the Midlands, it seems as if Gerrard could be Villa’s new man in charge very soon, with Ashley Preece claiming that Gerrard to Villa is all but done.
The Latest: Azul’s post
On Tuesday afternoon, Azul was one of the first to drop a major update on Gerrard moving south.
He claimed that the Englishman is ‘ready to take up’ Villa’s offer, even hinting that Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, had been in touch over a potential switch.
Azul then went on to add that ‘no clause’ will be inserted in a deal stopping Gerrard signing any Gers players, and he is ‘keen’ to act with ‘significant funds’ set to be available.
The Verdict: A new chapter…
Christian Purslow appears to have been key in what appears to be a likely move for Gerrard following their Liverpool connections, and it looks set to be a fresh era at Villa Park under the former Reds midfielder.
Should a move officially go through, you’d expect he’ll know exactly who he would want to bring with him to Villa on a playing front.
Centre-back Connor Goldson, right-back James Tavernier, striker Alfredo Morelos and winger Ryan Kent are some of the players Gerrard has used most as a manager, so perhaps he may look at a few of those to make his mark in the Midlands.
It appears as if he is interested in bringing some players with him, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the winter window, should he take over.
In other news: NSWE now eye ‘outstanding’ boss as Villa alternative for Gerrard; due in UK soon.