Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel makes decision over Aston Villa job

Aston Villa may need to re-think their managerial search with top target Thomas Tuchel uninterested in replacing Steven Gerrard, according to reports.

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The west Midlands club have endured a very poor start to the Premier League season, losing six of their 11 matches and sitting just three points above bottom-placed Nottingham Forest – out of the relegation zone only on goals scored.

Gerrard finally paid the price on Thursday night, relived of his duties after suffering a humiliating 3-0 defeat away to newly promoted Fulham.

A brief statement from the club read: ‘We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.’

Villa are now in the process of finding a new manager and have been linked with some illustrious names, such as Tuchel, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino and ex-Arsenal coach Unai Emery.

Tuchel has been out of work since the start of September after being fired by Chelsea, though that has done little to damage his reputation given that he won the Champions League a little over a year ago.

But, according to The Telegraph, Tuchel will reject any approach from Villa and is not interested in taking the job.

Even if the German were to be offered an enormous salary and big transfer kitty, any attempt from Villa to speak with him ‘would be met with a polite no’.

Pochettino is likely to give the same response, with both the Argentine and Tuchel conscious of the fact that there are some massive clubs who could need a new manager over the coming months with the likes of Xavi and Max Allegri under pressure at Barcelona and Juventus respectively.

Gerrard had said he was a ‘fighter’ in his post-match interview following defeat to Fulham and intended to continue in the role, but barely an hour later he had been given the axe – though was forced to travel back to Birmingham on the team bus.

Speaking before Gerrard’s departure was revealed, skipper John McGinn had defended the manager and felt the players needed to take responsibility: ‘It’s embarrassing to be part of. We’ve let the travelling fans down, the manager down. It’s a bad night for us.

‘It doesn’t matter who’s in charge of that team. It’s nothing to do with the manager – the players have to look at themselves in the mirror. We’ve definitely not lost faith in [the manager] – it’s us who are responsible.

‘He’s a top manager, he’s hurting just as the players are. We’ve let him down tonight. It’s up to us now to put in a performance for him.’

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