Who will replace Steven Gerrard as Aston Villa's next boss?
The result at Craven Cottage leaves them sitting uncomfortably above the Premier League relegation zone in 17th place, just above Wolves on goals scored, having won only two matches all season.
With tricky fixtures against Newcastle, Manchester United and Tottenham on the horizon, we take a look at the bookies’ favourite to replace the former Rangers boss in the Villa Park dugout.
Ruben Amorim
It would be an almighty coup for Villa to prize Amorim away from Sporting Lisbon, where the 37-year-old currently manages.
Amorim led Sporting to their first Portuguese title in 19 years last season and are currently just a point behind Tottenham and Marseille in the race to qualify from their Champions League group with two games remaining.
Sean Dyche
Dyche led Burnley to become Premier League stalwarts in his impressive decade in charge, but was unceremoniously sacked after a run of poor results in April.
The 51-year-old has been out of work since, but could appeal for his no-nonsense approach to management.
Mauricio Pochettino
Former Tottenham manager Pochettino is the fans favourite to succeed Gerrard and has been out of work since he was sacked from Paris St-Germain last July.
The 50-year-old Argentinian left Spurs after a slow start to the 2019/20 season but it would seem a long-shot for the Villa Park hierarchy to appoint a manager more accustomed to managing the likes of Kane, Mbappe and Messi.
Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank led Brentford to the Premier League for the first time in their history and followed-up with a credible 13th place finish the following year.
But whether the 49-year-old Dane would be tempted away from the Gtech Community Stadium to a team heading in the opposite direction remains to be seen.
Michael Beale
Beale, 42, followed Gerrard from Rangers to Villa Park before taking charge of QPR in June and has made an immediate impact at Loftus Road with the team currently top of Championship with a game in hand.
Wolves initially inquired into Beale’s availability after the Premier League club dismissed their manager Bruno Lage in September, but Beale was more content with life in the Championship.
Thomas Tuchel
Chelsea shocked the footballing world when they replaced Tuchel with Graham Potter last month with the 49-year-old German delivering the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies in a glittering first year at the club.
It would be another great surprise if Aston Villa were to appoint Tuchel, who similar to Pochettino, could be holding out for a bigger team.
