Next Aston Villa manager odds: Mauricio Pochettino the early favourite to replace Steven Gerrard

Mauricio Pochettino last managed at PSG (Photo: Getty)

Former Tottenham manager Maurico Pochettino and ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery are the early favourites to replace Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

Gerrard was sacked on Thursday night just after Villa fell to a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Fulham, with away fans chanting for the Liverpool legend to leave.

The Villans have been in woeful form since the end of last season and they currently sit 17th in the table, only escaping the relegation zone by virtue of goals scored compared to their local rivals Wolves.

Gerrard had long been the favourite to be the next Premier League boss to lose his job and now the search begins for the next manager to fill the dugout at Villa Park.

Villa’s owners have serious ambitions, and perhaps that is reflected in who the frontrunners for the job are, with Pochettino and Emery the top two names according to Betfair.

Both have plenty of experience managing top European sides, with Pochettino renowned for his time at Spurs which was followed by a short but not very sweet spell at PSG, and the Argentine is the outright favourite having been out of work since leaving Paris in the summer.

Unai Emery is best known in England for his time at Arsenal (Photo: Getty)

Emery meanwhile did not enjoy the happiest of times in England with Arsenal, nor with PSG, but is widely-respected for his achievements at Spanish sides Sevilla, where he won three straight Europa Leagues, and Villarreal where he currently manages.

Other names high on the list include QPR manager Michale Beale, who on Thursday turned down the chance to take over at Wolves, as well as former Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel, and Brentford’s Thomas Frank.

Ex-Burnley boss Sean Dyche is another contender, as is John Terry who worked as a coach at Villa under Gerrard’s predecessor Dean Smith and is still awaiting his first managerial job.

Villa are not the only Premier League team looking for a new manager however, with Wolves and Bournemouth under interim bosses following the sackings of Bruno Lage and Scott Parker earlier in the season.

MORE : Aston Villa sack Steven Gerrard following Fulham defeat

MORE : Steven Gerrard vowed to fight on just minutes before losing Aston Villa job following defeat at Fulham

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Unai Emery is also a frontrunner.