Former Aston Villa captain Gabriel Agbonlahor believes Rangers manager Steven Gerrard will replace Dean Smith at the Premier League strugglers within the next seven days, speaking to talkSPORT (10 November, 9.50am).
We know Aston Villa want Steven Gerrard. Goal and The Sun both claim the 41-year-old has emerged as the club’s top managerial target.
But we also know Rangers want to keep Steven Gerrard.
This is a guy who led the Glasgow giants to their fabled ‘number 55’, dragging the proud old club out of the shrubs and nettles – literally in Pedro Caixinha’s case – before ending Celtic’s decade-long stranglehold on Scottish football.
But there’s still one man we have yet to hear from in all this – Gerrard himself. The Liverpool legend has yet to break his silence regarding a potential mid-season departure from the reigning Scottish champions.
Agbonlahor, however, thinks the deal is all but done, claiming Gerrard will be holding a claret-and-blue scarf aloft by Wednesday next week.
Is Steven Gerrard about to become Aston Villa’s next manager?
“The compensation will be sorted. He’ll be at Villa Park this time next week to prepare them for a must-win game against Brighton at home,” says Agbonlahor.
It has been reported, via the Daily Record, that Aston Villa may be forced to fork out up to £3 million to break Gerrard’s Rangers contract.
Despite his vociferous claims, however, Agbonlahor believes it won’t be easy for Gerrard to walk away from one of the biggest and best-supported clubs in British football, especially after last year’s Invincible campaign.
“He’s thinking, I’d love to manage Villa in the Premier League but what I’ve got here is special,” says Agbonlahor, highlighting the debate that will be raging through Gerrard’s mind.
Aston Villa have also been linked with Kasper Hjulmand, Graham Potter and Roberto Martinez, although all three appear to have ruled the move out.
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