Mauricio Pochettino has major doubts over taking the Aston Villa job – due to the players, sources have told Football Insider.
The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain manager is the board’s number one target to replace Steven Gerrard.
Football Insider revealed on Monday night that Villa chiefs plan to dismiss Gerrard after the board held talks in the wake of Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.
He is set to take control of Thursday’s clash against Fulham, and could even still be in the dugout for the Brentford match on Sunday, but his time at the club is coming to an end while moves take place behind the scenes on finding a successor.
The Midlands giants have set their sights on an ambitious attempt to persuade Pochettino to take over the club placed 16th in the Premier League table.
This site first revealed on 29 August that the Argentine was on the target list of the Midlands big hitters and Villarreal manager Unai Emery is also on the club’s radar.
However, Pochettino is far from a “done deal” and that is due to the manager’s misgivings over the players assembled at great expense by Villa’s ambitious American owners in recent years.
He fears they will not be able to adapt to his high-intensity playing style that demands huge energy and pressing from the front.
The likes of Philippe Coutinho, Emiliano Buendia, Douglas Luiz and Danny Ings are not suited to that kind of tactical set-up.
It means talks with Pochettino could struggle to get off the ground and Villa could have to look elsewhere for a successor to Gerrard.
It could also means he remains in charge for longer than the club’s hiearchy would ideally want.