Steven Gerrard Reportedly in Turkey as Trabzonspor Target New Manager

After an impressive spell at Rangers, Steven Gerrard made the switch to Aston Villa and was given significant backing as he looked to take the next step in his managerial career. Things did not go to plan, and after a disastrous start to the season he was let go.

Villa have improved significantly under Unai Emery, further denting Gerrard’s reputation, but that hasn’t stopped rumours of interest from as diverse a set of footballing destinations as Leeds United, Paris Saint-Germain, and even the Polish National Team.

All of those links raised eyebrows for various reasons, and perhaps unsurprisingly all came to nothing in the end. Now, though, reports out of Turkey say that Gerrard could at least tentatively be set to take over at Trabzonspor within the next ten days or so.

At least that’s the story according to local outlet Karar and since amplified by countless British tabloids, who suggest Gerrard met presidential favourite and current vice-president Ertuğrul Doğan in Istanbul and will take over if he wins election on the 24th.

While previous links to Leeds, PSG, and Poland seemed various flavours of unlikely on the side of the clubs—and national team—involved, this one seems a stretch from Gerrard’s point of view if he still has hopes of establishing himself as a top manager.

If that is his goal, a move down to the Championship or willingness to head to a mid-table side in a top European league seems the sensible path—and for a player who spent his entire career in England, we’d expect a Championship gig to make most sense.