Ben Jacobs has claimed on the Off The Ball podcast that Aston Villa pursuing Queens Park Rangers manager Michael Beale to replace Steven Gerrard will be tough.
Gerrard was relieved of his duties following Aston Villa’s latest midweek defeat at the hands of Fulham and that has left the hierarchy looking for a successor amidst a very hectic schedule before the World Cup break.
Beale, who was Gerrard’s assistant at both Villa and Rangers has been tipped with the vacant role, although it would likely be a tough sell given he just rejected Wolves and pledged his loyalty to QPR in the Championship.
Jacobs relayed these thoughts claiming that it would be tough for the Villa board to lure Beale away from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.
(12:30) “People are mentioning Michael Beale but it’s going to be quite tough for him to take the Villa job having explained why he wouldn’t take the Wolves job, because of his loyalties to QPR, if a few days later he suddenly then joins Aston Villa, then that’s not going to be a good look for him, so it might be quite difficult there as well.”
Should Gerrard have been sacked?
Yes!
No!
TIF Thoughts on Villa’s vacant managerial spot…
It’s a tough situation for the Villa hierarchy to have found themselves in as they all clearly trued in Gerrard and what he was trying to do, otherwise they wouldn’t have allowed him to splash out so much money in two transfer windows, but now a new manager may not want to work with some of the players he’s brought in, such as Philippe Coutinho.
The board appear to be setting their sights very highly with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino being heavily linked with the job despite his last two jobs being at Champions League calibre sides while Villa find themselves in a relegation battle. Although, he is now seemingly ruled out.
Beale would be a smart appointment given he knows the players and the club from his time as an assistant coach under Gerrard, but he appears to be very loyal to QPR, who handed him his first chance in management, so that one looks to already be rather dead in the water.