‘Unfit and underwhelming’ - sacked Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa recruitment rated

Aston Villa are on the hunt for a new manager after sacking Steven Gerrard on Thursday night (20 October).

The club’s 3-0 loss to Fulham has left Villa in 17th place with just two wins all season. Villa’s owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have now begun their search for a new manager with a host of big names including Mauricio Pochettino, former Villa assistant Michael Beale and Thomas Frank amongst the favourites to replace Gerrard.

Gerrard was backed by the Villa board in both the January and summer transfer windows. The club spent big and attracted some star names to the club. On paper, Gerrard certainly had a team that should have at least been able to compete in the top half of the Premier League table. His failure to get the most of out of Villa’s attacking talent proved to be his downfall.

We’ve taken a look at Gerrard’s signigns while in charge at Villa Park to see how they fared during his time in charge.

Philippe Coutinho: 5/10

The signing of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona was a real statement of intent from owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris - and a sign of Gerrard’s pulling power that the club were able to convince the Brazilian international to relocate from Catalonia to the West Midlands. Coutinho joined the club on a permanent deal for around €20m in the summer.

The former Liverpool playmaker produced standout performances against Manchester United and Leeds United at Villa Park last season, but towards the end of the 2021/22 campaign his form began to dip and he was becoming less influential in games. The Brazilian has struggled to find his form and has yet to score for the club this season. He wasn’t called up to the last Brazil squad and it’s unlikely the 30-year-old will go to the World Cup, which may not be a bad thing for Villa as he can recharge over the winter break. Coutinho certainly hasn’t hit the heights expected of him so far and his performances this season especially have been underwhelming, but that may change under a new manager.

Lucas Digne: 7/10

Another big January signing. The Frenchman has built up a reputation for a wicked dead ball delivery and overall being a very technically gifted player. Digne had a good start to his Villa career last season, but struggled at the beginning of this campaign before suffering an injury against Southampton in September which is set to keep him out of the World Cup.

Robin Olsen 4/10

The Swedish international has yet to make an appearance for Villa this season. It’s hard to see him displacing Emi Martinez as number 1 anytime soon.

Calum Chambers 5/10

The defender has found first team opportunities limited this season but has has fared well when he has been given the opportunity. He has made on average 1.5 interceptions per game, while winning 100% of his aerial duels.

Boubacar Kamara 6/10

We haven’t seen much of the young Frenchman after he suffered a knee ligament injury during the 1-0 victory over Southampton which will see him on the sidelines until after the World Cup this winter. One of Gerrard’s key summer signings, the former Liverpool boss will be frustrated Kamara wasn’t able to play a bigger part during his tenure.

Kamara looked the real deal during the first couple of games this season. He had a pass accuracy of 82% per game and is averaged 3.3 tackles.

Diego Carlos 7/10

Gerrard’s big summer signing was the highly sought-after Brazilian centre-half Diego Carlos for a fee in the region of £26million from Sevilla.

There’s no doubt this will prove to be a brilliant signing for Villa. Unfortunately for Gerrard, Carlos ruptured his Achilles’ tendon during the 2-1 win over Everton in August, ruling him out for the majority of the campaign. It was a huge blow for Gerrard, and he may wonder what might have been if he would of had Carlos, Kamara and Digne available this season.

Ludwig Augustinsson 4/10

The Swedish international joined in the summer on loan from Sevilla. The 28-year-old hasn’t been given much of a chance to prove himself on the pitch yet despite the long-term injury to Lucas Digne.

Leander Dendoncker 5/10

Dendoncker joined Villa from Wolves in the summer but so far it’s a move which hasn’t quite worked out. But with Villa struggling for form and with the suspension of Douglas Luiz following his red card against Fulham, the Belgian should come into the starting 11 against Brentford on Sunday and can still play a big part for Villa this season.

Jan Bednarek - 5/10

Villa sealed a deal to sign centre-back Jan Bednarek on the final day of the transfer window. The Poland international had been brought in to add more competition and depth to the club’s defensive department, but Gerrard’s team have looked vulnerable at the back in recent weeks.

Bednarek was brought in for his first start under Gerrard against Fulham on Thursday night, but the 26-year-old struggled at Craven Cottage and will want to put that performance behind him quickly.

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