Steven Gerrard has flown to Istanbul to hold talks with Trabzonspor as he eyes a return to management, it has been claimed.
Gerrard has been without a job since being sacked by Aston Villa on October 20. The former Liverpool midfielder lasted less than a year in charge of Villa after moving down from Rangers to take a first job in the Premier League.
The 42-year-old won just 13 of his 40 games at Villa and left them in 17th, with just two wins from their opening 10 Premier League games, after a 3-0 defeat by Fulham. He was linked with the Poland job back in January after the country’s FA decided not to renew the contract of Czeslaw Michniewicz.
But Poland eventually appointed experienced former Portugal boss Fernando Santos, leaving Gerrard to look elsewhere for a role. According to Turkish outlet Karar, he visited Istanbul earlier this week to have dinner with Ertugrul Dogan, who is running to become president of Trabzonspor.
The Turkish side are currently without a manager after Abdullah Avcı quit earlier this month after losing 2-1 to bottom side Umraniyespor. The club are sixth in the Turkish Super Lig, having won 11 of their 23 matches.
Dogan has reportedly promised to appoint Gerrard as manager if he wins the forthcoming election. Dogan is currently vice president of the club but is also holding the role of chairman. He is expected to win the presidential election, meaning Gerrard has a good chance of being offered the job.
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If he does take up the role with the seven-times Turkish champions then he will be reunited with a familiar face. Trabzonspor have former Aston Villa winger Trezeguet, who joined the club in a £4.25million deal from Villa last summer.
While he struggled to make an impact at Villa, Gerrard had a much better time of things at his previous club, Rangers. He won the Scottish Premiership in 2020/21 and claimed 125 wins from 193 games in charge.
As well as Poland, Gerrard was linked with the Leeds job following the sacking of Jesse Marsch. The Premier League strugglers eventually appointed former Watford boss Javi Gracia.
Gerrard has also been spoken about amid uncertainty about the future of Christophe Galtier at Paris Saint-Germain. Gregory Vignal, a former team-mate and member of the coaching staff, has claimed that he would be a good fit at the Parc des Princes.
“I’m pretty sure that Steven is ready to crack on again. I think he is strong enough mentally to start a new project,” he said. “Why not Paris Saint-Germain? They have been talking about him. I am sure he can get a good job soon whether that is in the Premier League or abroad.”
