Former Arsenal and Tottenham managers ‘among favourites’ to replace Premier League manager

Two former London club bosses have been linked with returning to the Premier League.

We saw another sacking in the Premier League on Thursday night, with Aston Villa deciding to sack Steven Gerrard after a disappointing start to the season. Villa spent a fair chunk to improve during the summer, but they seem to have gone backwards, managing just two wins so far this season.

And following a heavy defeat to Fulham on Thursday night, Villa wasted no time dismissing Gerrard, with the Midlands club desperate to avoid any sort of relegation battle. Injuries didn’t help Villa, while there were also questions over the level of effort being put in by some players.

In any case, Villa are now on the lookout for a new boss, and wages shouldn’t be an issue, given they are well-backed. Interestingly, former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is the current favourite having left Paris Saint-Germain in recent months. Pochettino hasn’t managed in the Premier League since 2019, and it will be interesting to see if he has any interest in taking over at Villa. The Midlands club are well-backed, but Pochettino may want a club ready to compete for or in Europe.

Behind Pochettino is former Arsenal and current Villarreal boss Unai Emery. Emery showed some interest in the Newcastle United job last season, but he ultimately decided to stay with Villarreal, taking them to the Champions League semi-finals against the odds. The Yellow Submarine have endured a disappointing start to the season, but there are said to be contract talks with Emery in the background, though they may have been paused in the midst of Villarreal’s struggles of late.

Emery is said to want to prove himself in the Premier League at some point, but again, he may not feel as though there is enough of an opportunity to compete at the top end with Villa.

Former Fulham boss Scott Parker is also on the list of odds, which you can see below, courtesy of BetVictor.

Mauricio Pochettino - 3/1

Unai Emery - 4/1

Thomas Frank - 4/1

Michael Beale - 4/1

Sean Dyche - 6/1

Scott Parker - 12/1

Kjetil Knudsen - 16/1

Marcelo Bielsa - 16/1

Chris Wilder - 20/1