Sean Fisher

Wed 19 October 2022 20:10, UK

Aston Villa could be forced to wait for Mauricio Pochettino after Fabrizio Romano shared the Argentine manager’s plans.

Aston Villa have reportedly decided to sack Steven Gerrard [Football Insider], leaving the hot seat at Villa Park empty.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Villa are one of three English clubs to have approached Mauricio Pochettino about taking over as manager, but the Argentine boss didn’t plan on returning to the sport so soon.

Romano also reports that Pochettino’s priority was to wait until after the World Cup before taking a managerial job.

“The situation for Steven Gerrard is really complicated, I expect updates in the morning on Aston Villa’s decision,” Romano wrote.

“On Pochettino, three English clubs have already approached him but his priority has always been to wait at least until the World Cup to decide his future.

“Let’s see if Aston Villa will be able to change his mind, but I’m told this is the situation.”

Worth the wait

Compared to every other manager available on the market at the moment, Pochettino is well worth the wait if he’s not willing to immediately take charge of Aston Villa this month.

Villa have ambition to become a consistent top-half Premier League side capable of competing for spots in Europe. Hiring a new manager solely to keep Villa in the Premier League season-on-season is not an appointment the club should be making.

Pochettino is a manager that has history in England, a good Champions League record and experience dealing with big stars.

All of that will be necessary at Aston Villa, and his presence alone will likely improve performances and the general feeling around the club.

While Villa currently sit in a very daunting league position after a poor start, the new appointment of a manager cannot be rushed. Pochettino is worth working around, and that’s exactly what Villa need to do.

In other Aston Villa news, the links to Mauricio Pochettino are ‘pure speculation’ according to reports