Romano asked if Aston Villa could replace Steven Gerrard with Pochettino

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Fabrizio Romano has told the House of Champions podcast that Mauricio Pochettino wants to wait until the World Cup before deciding on his future amid reported interest from Aston Villa.

It appears that a change could be on the way at Villa Park. Steven Gerrard is coming under real pressure it seems. Villa are languishing in the bottom-half of the Premier League table.

It remains to be seen if Gerrard can turn the situation around. But, perhaps ominously, links with other managers have started to emerge. And journalist Dean Jones has told Give Me Sport that there is interest in Pochettino.

The Argentinian is a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. Of course, he has a fantastic record in the Premier League, having elevated both Southampton and Tottenham.

Aston Villa target Pochettino to wait until World Cup before deciding future

So it would be a coup for the Villans to land Pochettino. Romano has not ruled it out when asked about the links. However, he suggested that the 50-year-old is taking his time before deciding his next move.

“Let’s see if Aston Villa will be able to convince Pochettino,” he told the House of Champions podcast. “What I’m told is that Pochettino prefers to wait at least until the World Cup.

“So he wants to see what happens with the World Cup. We know that after the World Cup, we also have a lot of managerial changes. His priority is to wait.

“I think it’s not going to be easy [for Aston Villa].”

Pochettino’s stance may suit Villa – if he is interested in the role. The World Cup is a frustrating hurdle in many ways. However, it also allows clubs to take their time over big decisions ahead of the second-half of the season.

Should Villa sack Gerrard in the coming days, they are unlikely to rush into an appointment if their top target is not available.

Obviously, it is not ideal to potentially struggle up until the World Cup. But if Villa do decide to make a change, they are surely better off biding their time in the hope of landing the name at the top of their wishlist, rather than rushing into an appointment for someone they are much less convinced about.