Aston Villa Women fans all say same thing after Shaun Goater’s sudden exit
Aston Villa fans have expressed their dismay at the news of Shaun Goater’s departure from the women’s team.
Former Manchester City forward Goater has been with Villa Women since becoming assistant head coach in August 2024 under then-boss Robert de Pauw.
The ex-Bermuda international was named caretaker manager that December following De Pauw’s sacking, with Goater picking up 10 points from a possible 12 during his brief stint.
Goater was kept on following the appointment of manager Natalia Arroyo in January 2025, but there have been increasing calls for the 56-year-old to replace her, especially after their 7-3 thumping by Tottenham last month.
However, there is next to no chance of that happening now after the West Midlands outfit announced his exit from Villa Park.
- Read more: Aston Villa Women fans all say the same thing about Natalia Arroyo sack after Tottenham rout
Aston Villa fans mystified by Shaun Goater’s departure
When news of this broke on Wednesday morning, many Villa fans were deeply perturbed by this development. Villa sit ninth in the Women’s Super League and have had an underwhelming season.
Now, it seems this is another blow.
A brief statement from Villa reads: “Aston Villa Women can confirm Women’s Assistant Coach, Shaun Goater, has departed the club.
“Goater has been with the club since August 2024 as part of the coaching staff, including acting as Interim Head Coach for a period in the 24/25 season.
“We would like to thank Shaun for his commitment and contribution during his time and wish him well for the future.”
This led to one Villa fan writing on X, “Did he resign or was he pushed?” and another tweeted, “Wrong person leaving the club.”
Another Villa fan commented, “Worst decision ever,” and one put, “I’ll see how we perform against Leicester, etc., and then decide how I feel about this.”
Conversely, another Villa fan said they were glad that this would put an end to talk of Goater replacing Arroyo.
They tweeted: “Whilst sad to see him go, I’m not sad to see the back of the ‘sack the manager and install Goater’ circus every time we hit a bad patch, based mainly on him beating Charlton, Bristol Rovers and West Ham, who were in a rocky time of their own. Do wish him the best. What’s next?”
What next for Aston Villa?
While fans will speculate all is not well behind the scenes at Villa, the WSL side need to focus on ending their season on a high.
Arroyo may not be the right person to lead them forward, with tough games against league leaders Manchester City and defending champions Chelsea set to come in March.
And had it not been for the goals of Villa star Kirsty Hanson this season, with the 28-year-old scoring nine in 16 league games, they would be in deep trouble.
As it is, Villa are ninth and sit seven points ahead of basement side Leicester City with six matches to go.
If they can beat Leicester on their own patch on 22 March, that will likely all but ensure their top-flight safety for another season.
But for a team that finished fifth last season, this campaign has not been good enough for Villa.
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