Steven Gerrard running out of time at Aston Villa as Premier League struggles continue – Paper Round

Gerrard close to exit at Villa

The Mail reports that Steven Gerrard’s position at Aston Villa is no longer safe. While owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are in no hurry to sack the 42-year-old, there is a limit to their patience ahead of the break for the World Cup in November. Bo Svensson at Mainz is one potential replacement, and Mauricio Pochettino is in the mind of many club owners.

Paper Round’s view: Pochettino did well enough at PSG to maintain his excellent reputation in the Premier League, but he did not do so well that he would be in demand with another big European side. For Gerrard, his odd decisions regarding Tyrone Mings, coupled with some bad luck with injuries, has highlighted his limitations as a coach and tactician.

Pique given chance to prove talents

Barcelona’s 35-year-old defensive stalwart Gerard Pique will be given a chance to demonstrate his worth to the Spanish side, according to Marca. Pique has been behind Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde this season, but injuries mean that the veteran will get minutes on the pitch under Xavi Hernandez, with two more years left on his current deal.

Paper Round’s view: A mixture of deferred wages and salary reductions would mean that it would be tough to get rid of Pique without him demanding a full pay-off to leave earlier than 2024. However it is clear that his talents have faded of late and the best he can hope for at Barcelona is the occasional runout when other defensive options are unavailable.

Zakaria frustrated at Chelsea

Denis Zakaria joined Chelsea in the summer transfer window from Juventus, despite only joining the Italian team last winter. The 25-year-old Swiss international has struggled for game time under new manager Graham Potter, and he will seek clarification with the Englishman over his future in the coming days, after falling well down the pecking order.

Paper Round’s view: For Potter, there is little benefit in him giving Zakaria a role to play if he continues to focus on younger players such as Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher, because they belong to Chelsea and are not short-term options. Zakaria will have to be provably and irresistibly better in Chelsea to get Potter to plump for a player he may soon lose back to Juventus.

Wolves struggle to land Lopetegui

Wolverhampton Wanderers want to sign Julen Lopetegui after sacking Bruno Lage, but the Mirror reports that they may struggle to land the 56-year-old Spaniard as they make their second attempt. Lopetegui was sacked by Sevilla recently but his intense style and his desire to look after his elderly father may stand in the way of any new job until 2023.

Paper Round’s view: Wolves should not have sacked Lage if they did not have a replacement already lined up, and Lopetegui now looks to be a difficult candidate to land. With just a few weeks until the World Cup there is a chance that they can keep things going under caretaker Steve Davis and hope that a new obvious candidate somehow becomes obvious.