Aston Villa and Robert de Pauw decided to part ways after the 4-0 defeat against Arsenal in the Women’s Super League. Shaun Goater took over as interim head coach. A lot was expected from Aston Villa this season as there were many great signings in the summer. De Pauw oversaw a total of eleven games across the WSL and League Cup. Out of all those games his team only won two, so it’s time for a new head coach.
Cryptic messages and odd timing
If Aston Villa was planning on letting de Pauw go, the logical time to do it would have been the international break. The timing and de Pauw’s message on LinkedIn raised some questions. Some who might be answered by the exclusive (The Guardian) from Tom Garry and Suzanne Wrack, reporting on concerns regarding the way he allegedly spoke to players.
De Pauw responded to the allegattions: “They told me the English media could be low but this low. I never make comments about players appearances. As a former social worker and father of a daughter I’m disgusted by people who would do this.”
He added: “In my former job as a social worker I stood for women and young children that needed protection. Newspapers that just throw things around without having facts are disgraceful and damaging for persons lives.”
In a post on LinkedIn the head coach did not name Aston Villa but he did write: “You need the backing of the club if you want the team to go from average, to good, to better, to top” and “I never shy away from difficult decisions and I will certainly not win the popularity contests. Because you can never satisfy everyone. But always keeping standards high to get the best out of the team and each other.”
Finding a new head coach – possible candidates
When Carla Ward stepped down Aston Villa said they concluded “an extremely methodical and extensive managerial search”. Robert de Pauw and Elisabet Gunnarsdottir were the final candidates. Will the club go back to contacting Gunnarsdottir or start a whole new search?
Carla Ward said she needed her break more than anything but also: “I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to get back into management. Of course I do. I always knew I would want to. It was just a matter of when.” Would she consider coming back to Aston Villa?
Other coaches that could be considered are Casey Stoney, Nick Cushing, Mark Parsons and many more.
Aston Villa has the quality to turn the season around
In the transfer summer the club did not hold back. Many new signings joined the team such as Jill Baijings from Bayer Leverkusen, Paula Tomás and Gabi Nunes from Levante, Katie Robinson from Brighton, Sabrina D’Angelo from Arsenal, Chasity Grant from Ajax and Missy Bo Kearns from Liverpool.
Miri Taylor joined the team on a permanent contract after joining in January 2024 on a short-term basis from Liverpool and Staniforth extended her contract. So, the new manager has plenty of top players to form a team with and compete with the best for the remainder of the season.