Aston Villa has reportedly identified a potential candidate to takeover the team should Steven Gerrard be sacked.

Villa suffered their fifth defeat of the 2022/23 English Premier League season on Sunday against Chelsea and now sit in the 16th place on the table with just a point above the relegation zone.

According to English outlet, The Telegraph, Gerrard, who replaced Dean Smith almost a year ago, is at risk of the sack ahead of two crucial games this week.

The Villans, who have Zimbabwean midfielder Marvelous Nakamba in their books, will face Fulham on Thursday before clashing with Brentford on Sunday at the Villa Park.

Should the former Liverpool midfielder fails to engineer the desired results in those games, he will be fired.

And the Birmingham-based side’s management is planning an ambitious move to convince former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino to step in and take over the team.

Co-owner Nassef Sawiris is expected to lead any process, while partner Wes Edens, chief executive Christian Purslow and sporting director Johan Lange would weigh in.

Pochettino has been without a club since being sacked by PSG in June.