Aston Villa are searching for their third manager in eight months after Tim Sherwood’s dismissal on Sunday, and Rémi Garde has emerged as the clear frontrunner. Villa are keen to stress that no decision has been made and that preliminary discussions are planned with other candidates, but the Frenchman is the overwhelming favourite to take over from Sherwood as things stand.
It is understood that Garde has already been approached and held talks in relation to the vacancy. There are also suggestions in France that Tom Fox, Villa’s chief executive, has spoken to Arsène Wenger about the former Arsenal midfielder’s credentials. Fox previously worked for Arsenal, as did Hendrik Almstadt, Villa’s sporting director, and Wenger has always thought highly of Garde, of whom he said in the summer that he had done a great job when he was in charge at Lyon.
Out of work after taking a sabbatical from the game when he stepped down from the Lyon job last year, Garde would be a relatively straightforward appointment if he can be convinced to take the leap of faith and it is easy to see the attraction for Villa. The Premier League club have half a dozen French speakers in the squad, several of whom have struggled to make much impression since arriving in the summer, and Garde, as well as being well respected for his tactical knowledge, has a track record of developing younger players, which fits into Villa’s long-term vision.
Villa have responded to the speculation about Garde, who was strongly linked to the Newcastle United job earlier in the year, by insisting that they are not putting all their eggs in one basket and that a shortlist has been drawn up. David Moyes, Brendan Rodgers and Nigel Pearson are other names likely to be under consideration but Garde is the standout candidate and several bookmakers have suspended betting on him being the next Villa manager.
Rodgers is believed to be keen to take a break from football after his sacking at Liverpool, which could take him out of the equation anyway, while there are mixed messages in relation to Moyes. Some sources close to the former Everton and Manchester United manager suggest he would welcome the chance to return to the Premier League and say that the Villa job appeals, yet the feeling in Spain is that he would not be prepared to walk out on Real Sociedad. Moyes has been under pressure after a poor run of results but Sociedad won 4-0 at Levante on Sunday.
In the short term Villa have placed Kevin MacDonald in charge, with the man who held the job on a temporary basis when Martin O’Neill stepped down as manager in 2010 certain to take the team for Wednesday night’s Capital One Cup tie at Southampton. Villa then have another five days before facing Tottenham Hotspur in the league at White Hart Lane.
The news that Sherwood had been sacked hardly came as a surprise. Villa’s 2-1 defeat at home against Swansea on Saturday was their sixth in the league in succession and plunged them deeper into trouble; they have picked up only one point from a possible 27. Villa have not won in the league since the opening day and, with Sunderland beating Newcastle 3-0 on Sunday, the Midlands club are now bottom of the table.
In a brief statement on their website, Villa thanked Sherwood for his contribution, confirmed that Ray Wilkins, his assistant, and Mark Robson, the first-team coach, were also departing and said: “The board has monitored the performances closely all season and believes the results on the pitch were simply not good enough and that a change is imperative.”
Privately Villa accept that Sherwood, who will be granted a £2m pay-off, is not solely responsible for the mess that the club find themselves in. Whether the need for improvements elsewhere extends to the transfer policy – which is overseen by Almstadt and Paddy Riley, the director of player recruitment, and is an area that became such a bone of contention for Sherwood – remains to be seen.
