Premier League news: Ex-Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce pins Aston Villa sackings on £100m problem

Steven Gerrard was sacked at Villa Park earlier this week following a poor run of Premier League results which all came to a head in the Villans’ humbling loss to newly-promoted Fulham.

Liverpool and England legend Gerrard took over the reins at Aston Villa after boyhood fan Dean Smith was sacked last year. Gerrard swapped Rangers for Villa in November 2021 and lasted 11 months at the club before being sacked earlier this week.

Allardyce, however, pinpointed the reason both Smith and Gerrard had failed at Aston Villa in recent years – claiming their underperformance was down to one player sale.

“I have to say this, we’re only as good as the players we manage and there is one major factor that Dean Smith suffered and now Steven Gerrard has – there’s no Jack Grealish,” Allardyce told the Keys and Gray Podcast.

"There is a major difference in results at Aston Villa since Jack Grealish was sold and then Dean Smith struggled and Steven has struggled eventually. That one iconic player makes such a difference for a club like Aston Villa, as is the same with Wilfried Zaha who I managed at Crystal Palace,” Allardyce said.

Manchester City signed Grealish on a six-year contract until 2027 back in August 2021. It was reported by numerous outlets that the transfer fee paid to Aston Villa was in the region of £100million.