Next Aston Villa manager - the contenders
It's over for Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa. The Villans have called time on their partnership with the former England international, with the club 17th in the Premier League table.
Villa struggled to create a clear-cut identity under Gerrard - though they did maim a number of sides with their over-exuberant and often dangerous tackling - and chief executive officer Christian Purslow and the NSWE group are now on the lookout for a new boss to get the best out of a squad which was invested in heavily during the summer.
Here are the current contenders to succeed Gerrard in the Villa Park dugout - and don't worry, there'll be no shoddy jokes comparing a Premier League football club to a certain government in disarray. Truss us.
Mauricio Pochettino
Clubs managed: Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain
Pochettino is one of Villa's main targets, though 90min understands the Argentine is holding out on a return to former club Tottenham.
It was in north London where Pochettino enhanced his reputation in England after a positive first impression with Southampton. He led Spurs to Premier League finishes of third, second and third as well as a run to the 2018/19 Champions League final.
His most recent spell at Paris Saint-Germain has damaged his reputation somewhat, but Poch loves a project and would provide the Villa faithful with fast, attacking football.
Thomas Frank
Clubs managed: Brondby, Brentford
Another manager known to be admired by Villa's hierarchy is Brentford boss Thomas Frank, whose reputation continues to soar because of his work in west London.
The Dane spent three years as manager of Brondby before serving as Dean Smith's assistant at the Bees during their days as a Championship side. He oversaw promotion to the Premier League and followed that success up with a 14th place finish - a tremendous achievement given the resources available to him.
Frank has also helped develop Ivan Toney into one of the country's finest strikers, while his tactical acumen and style of play are widely admired by his fellow managers. Brentford won't want to lose him, evidenced already by their desire to present with another new contract.
Thomas Tuchel
Clubs managed: Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea
A more ambitious approach for Thomas Tuchel, out of work since leaving Chelsea, has also been floated.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss enjoyed league success with Paris Saint-Germain but could never make a title challenge in England with the Blues, though the Champions League triumph in 2021 still endears him to the fanbase.
Going from Stamford Bridge to Villa Park is such a short space of time is unlikely, but if Tuchel wants to get back into management, there are worse footballers to work with than Douglas Luiz and Philippe Coutinho.
Kjetil Knutsen
Clubs managed: Hovdling, Fyllingen/Fyllingsdalen, Asane, Bodo/Glimt
Kjetil Knutsen is a relative unknown to many, but he has risen to prominence in European football after successfully guiding Bodo/Glimt to the latter stages of last season's Europa Conference League.
The Norwegian is billed as a progressive and modern thinking coach - much like Frank - and was previously one of the names linked with replacing Graham Potter at Brighton. He may not have the profile and clout of some of the other names in the running, but Villa may be impressed by his coaching methods and ability to develop players.
Unai Emery
Clubs managed: Lorca Deportiva, Almeria, Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain, Villarreal
Unai Emery's management career is respected in many corners in England, but he never found his rhythm during his spell with Arsenal.
He reached the Europa League final with the Gunners - a competition he had already won three times with Sevilla and again later with Villarreal.
Emery brushed off Newcastle's advances last year to remain in Spain and Villa would have to make a hugely attractive offer to persuade the Spaniard to relocated back to the United Kingdom.
Michael Beale
Clubs managed: Queens Park Rangers
He's just turned down the opportunity to speak to Wolves about their vacant managerial role, but could Michael Beale be tempted back to Villa Park after departing as Steven Gerrard's assistant in the summer?
It's unlikely, to say the least - particularly as he gave an extensive interview on Thursday explaining why he's staying loyal to QPR - but football is a funny old business where anything can change in the blink of an eye.
Beale was lauded for his work on Villa's training ground, and his short spell at QPR clearly shows he has tactical nous and the ability to get the best out of players. Never say never.