Steven Gerrard is a man under serious pressure at Aston Villa and it seems as if the board are already eyeing up potential replacements.
According to the Telegraph, Mauricio Pochettino, Unai Emery and Thomas Tuchel are all on NSWE's shortlist of candidates to replace Gerrard, who looks to be on the brink of losing his job after last weekend's 2-0 defeat against Chelsea.
The Villans currently sit 16th in the Premier League table after winning just two of their opening ten fixtures, despite a summer of seemingly-impressive recruitment that included Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho all swapping Champions League football for Villa Park.
The report claims that poor results in Gerrard's next two games against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Thursday and Brentford at Villa Park on Sunday could seal his fate, with Pochettino currently the top target to replace him.
However, Villa might be better off approaching Tuchel, as while it would be an ambitious swoop for the 49-year-old, his Champions League success with Chelsea emphasises his ability as a top manager.
Pochettino has enjoyed impressive spells with Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur in the past but was ultimately unable to win a trophy despite being in charge during a Spurs golden era which included Christian Eriksen, a prime Dele Alli and world-class forwards in Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.
The Argentine also showed his vulnerabilities in the Champions League with PSG, as despite possessing Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar in his front three, PSG once again struggled against Europe's elite.
Tuchel meanwhile, was able to win the Champions League during his time at Chelsea and was sacked somewhat prematurely this summer, as he coped with the big changes at the club following Roman Abramovic's departure.
Ben Chilwell was full of praise for the German manager last season, saying:
“As Chelsea players, we have full confidence in the manager and we know we're not going to get a better manager here, I’m not just saying it. He's an unbelievable manager in all aspects, and I think he has a lot of trust in us as well.”
During Pochettino's spell with Spurs, he averaged 1.84 points per game whereas Tuchel averaged a seriously impressive 2.07 points per game at Chelsea.
That certainly suggests that the German has the edge, so NSWE must favour a move for the former Dortmund boss should they decide to fire Gerrard.
Unlike the former Tottenham boss, he actually has success under his belt, notably winning two Ligue 1 titles in Paris too. It would be an inspired appointment by Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris.