Steven Gerrard was appointed Head Coach of Aston Villa in November and said he hoped to bring European football back to the Midlands. Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens invested heavily in January to give Gerrard a stronger squad for his top-six push, but Villa are likely to fall short this season.
They’re currently 9th in the Premier League and 14 points adrift of sixth-placed Manchester United after 29 games, but the 2022/23 campaign could see Villa finishing in the top-six for the first time in 12 years if they bolster the weak areas of the squad.
Despite having ambitious owners and lucrative resources to strengthen the squad, David James believes Gerrard would prefer to manage a club regularly challenging for ‘major honours’, telling GGrecon: “I don’t want to insinuate Aston Villa are a stepping stone, but Gerrard will realistically want to manage a team that’s eventually competing for major honours.
“I can see Stevie bringing success to Villa and that would be one exciting bus for (new signings) to be on. If (a player) does well then he can go with Stevie to the next club he moves onto.” Gerrard appears to be happy at Villa, but it’s no secret that he dreams of managing Liverpool and may use his time in the Midlands as an audition for the Anfield gig.
The 41-year-old used Rangers as a stepping-stone before returning to the Premier League, spending three-and-a-half-years at Ibrox before departure mid-season when Villa came knocking, so Villa might be faced with the same problem if a managerial vacancy opens up at Liverpool. James has a point.
In other news, David James says Aston Villa should sign ‘talented’ Kalvin Phillips
