Current Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard was always destined to leave Rangers not long after guiding them to their 55th league title and first in a decade, while also improving their reputation on the continent.

The move to the Premier League hasn’t quite gone to plan so far, winning only 13 of his 36 matches in charge of the Villans in all competitions, and has found himself under some pressure due to Villa’s poor start to the current campaign.

It might have been different had the club moved for someone else, however, with the newly appointed Chelsea manager Graham Potter being touted for the Villa job before Gerrard was appointed.

Villa should have appointed Potter

The club missed their opportunity, however, luring Gerrard away from Rangers to take over at the Midlands and it certainly looks like the wrong choice now.

Potter has had a wonderful rise through the coaching ranks, starting off at Swedish side Ostersund where he led them to Swedish Cup glory and a stunning Europa League run in 2017/2018 before leaving to take charge at Swansea City.

His spell in Wales was short-lived, having led them to a tenth-placed Championship finish as well as a FA Cup quarter-final run, he joined south coast side Brighton and Hove Albion, where his career really began to take off.

Potter guided the club to finishes of 15th, 16th and ninth during his three full seasons in charge at Brighton, while also overseeing some incredible victories.

He leaves them in fourth spot in the Premier League table having succeeded Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea manager, but he could have been an excellent manager for Villa and would surely have them sitting higher than the lowly 15th position they currently find themselves in.

After all, this is a manager who has consistently overachieved in his coaching career to date, with that trend likely to have continued if he joined a club with big visions and money like Villa.

Emma Hayes, the Chelsea women's manager has described the 47-year-old as an “amazing leader” and with his results and rise to the very top of the managerial game, this appears to be his greatest strength, particularly when you consider his degree in social science, something that has developed his man-management skills immensely.

Aston Villa’s loss currently looks like Chelsea’s gain and it will be interesting to see just how well he does at a club who are expected to win nearly every week.