Since English coach Nathan Jones is now unemployed after being let go by Aston Villa earlier in the season, Southampton is apparently interested in hiring Steven Gerrard to replace him
Since English coach Nathan Jones is now unemployed after being let go by Aston Villa earlier in the season, Southampton is apparently interested in hiring Steven Gerrard to replace him.
Southampton are looking for a long-term manager who can maintain the club in the Premier League, and according to journalist Dean Jones, the Saints have a “real interest” in employing the Liverpool great.
Former Luton Town manager Jones was fired by Southampton over the weekend after the club lost 2-1 to Wolves at home despite being up a goal with 15 minutes to go and having an additional man. During his short but unfortunate stint at St. Mary’s, Jones failed to earn a single Premier League point.
Southampton has a lot of possibilities for their future manager, and Gerrard seems to be one of the top prospects. The 42-year-old won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers before going on to his disastrous stint at Villa, so he has shown success at the highest level of the sport.
Gerrard was praised for his ability to bring out the best in younger players throughout his time with both Rangers and Villa. In addition, Southampton is one of the youngest teams in the Premier League and hence may be an appealing destination for the young coach.
Given Gerrard’s tenure at Villa and the fact that the Englishman was fired from the Premier League side this season, Southampton may have second thoughts about hiring the SPL champion if avoiding relegation is their top managerial priority.
Even though Gerrard has qualities that could make the former Rangers man successful on the south coast, the 42-year-old could easily be as risky an appointment as the last man who sat in the Saints hot seat, which is why Southampton’s decision to hire Jones looked doomed from the very beginning given the Welsh coach’s profile.
Gerrard has showed promise as a Premier League manager at Villa, but if he were to take over at Southampton, a more dysfunctional club, he may once again find himself out of his depth.
