Two-and-a-half years on from his sacking at Aston Villa, Steven Gerrard is being tipped to make a return to English football.
The former Liverpool captain has been out of work since the end of January, when he departed Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq after 18 months as their manager (where he’d faced criticism over his scheduling of training sessions), and he could potentially be in the frame for another gig in his native country.
Earlier this week, Southampton called time on Ivan Juric’s brief reign after their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed. Simon Rusk takes temporary charge for the second time this season, with Saints midfielder Adam Lallana as his assistant.
Gerrard among early frontrunners for Southampton job
As per Birmingham World, Gerrard is believed to be ‘high up the list’ at St Mary’s as the south coast club set about appointing their next permanent manager.
Steve Cooper – who Leicester jettisoned in November – is named as the early frontrunner for the job, with Sean Dyche also among the favourites to step into the managerial vacancy at Southampon.
The article mentions several other names who aren’t as prominent among the bookmakers’ odds but are still listed as possible candidates, and among them is former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, albeit with only a 9.1% probability.
Gerrard might feel he has a reputation to restore in England
The Saints are expected to wait until the summer to appoint a permanent successor to Juric, as compensation for any managers currently in work would be lower for a Championship club than for a top-flight side (The Athletic), and their overarching goal for the rest of this season is simply to get the two points needed in order to avoid usurping Derby of 2007/08 as officially the worst team of the Premier League era.
If Gerrard is given the job at St Mary’s, he could lean on his ex-Liverpool teammate Lallana for insider knowledge on Southampton, either by keeping him on the coaching ticket or sounding him out informally for some valuable information and advice.
The Scouser’s previous managerial job in England didn’t go well, with Aston Villa getting rid of him in October 2022 after less than a year in the position as fans called for his head with the Midlands side in 17th place – a far cry from when he excelled at Rangers.
Their astonishing improvement under his successor Unai Emery has subsequently made the 44-year-old’s spell at Villa Park seem even more underwhelming, although our former captain will be hoping that if he is to manager in his homeland again, he’ll be much wiser for the experience that he’s gained in the meantime.
Southampton could be a challenging gig for Gerrard if he’s given the chance to take it on – there’ll be an expectation to earn instant promotion to the Premier League and to make the team far more competitive than they were this season or in their previous relegation two years ago.
However, the Liverpool legend demonstrated many times in his playing days that he embraces pressure rather than being cowed by it, and after disappointing spells at Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq, hopefully he’ll be able to improve his managerial reputation at whatever his next club might be.
