Aston Villa interested in highly rated Premier League manager to take over after sacking Steven Gerrard - Reports

Aston Villa are considering a move for Brentford boss Thomas Frank to replace Steven Gerrard as their new manager, according to The Athletic.

Gerrard took charge as the manager of Aston Villa following a successful stint with Rangers last year. Having helped the Gers put an end to Celtic's nine-year reign over the Scottish Premiership, he arrived in Birmingham with high expectations.

However, things did not go according to plan for the Liverpool legend at Villa. In his 40 matches in charge, the Villans won just 13, drew eight, and lost 19, which is almost half the amount of games he managed.

Gerrard spent around £85 million across two transfer windows, signing a host of players like Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne and Diego Carlos. Villa, though, find themselves sitting 17th in the Premier League table after 11 games.

The Birmingham outfit have only won two league games this term and are just three points above bottom-placed Nottingham Forest. Their 3-0 loss to Fulham on Thursday (October 20) turned out to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

Villa announced that they have parted ways with Gerrard immediately after their defeat at Craven Cottage. They have already set the wheels in motion to find a replacement for the Englishman.

According to the aforementioned source, Brentford boss Frank is under consideration at Villa Park. The Villans are said to be considering a move for the Dane as he is admired by the club's board.

Frank took charge of the Bees in October 2018 and has managed 203 matches with them. He notably helped the West London outfit earn promotion to the Premier League last year.

The Danish tactician has a contract with Brentford until the end of the 2024-25 season. It now remains to be seen if Aston Villa can convince him to jump ship midway through the campaign.

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Aston Villa also considered Mauricio Pochettino to replace Gerrard

Frank is not the only manager under consideration to replace the former midfielder at Aston Villa. The Villa Park outfit have also identified former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boss Mauricio Pochettino as a possible option.

They are also said to be plotting an ambitious move for former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. However, both those tacticians would need convincing to join the 17th-placed club iin the Premier League.

Villa, though, are reportedly prepared to 'move heaven and earth' to convince Pochettino to take charge of them. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Gerrard.