Aston Villa are considering the future of their women’s first-team manager Robert de Pauw.
Villa sit ninth in the Women’s Super League with just one victory from their opening nine league fixtures, leaving the Midlands club one point above the relegation zone.
And senior staff are assessing De Pauw’s position, though no decision has been made. Villa host Championship side Charlton Athletic in the League Cup tonight (Wednesday). They sit second in the group behind Tottenham Hotspur.
De Pauw, 43, signed a three-year deal with the option of a further year with Villa in June following the departure of Carla Ward.
Villa have taken six points from nine league games this season, with their only WSL win coming against newly-promoted Crystal Palace in November.
Aston Villa have been contacted by The Athletic for comment.
On Tuesday night, De Pauw posted a cryptic LinkedIn message. While the former Bayer Leverkusen manager did not make any reference to Villa, he insisted that “to go from average, to good, to better, to top…you need the backing of the club.”
His post read: “As a football manager the hardest thing is the loads of daily choices you have to make. Short term, long term. Popular decisions, unpopular decisions. Weekly having to disappoint players because you can only play 11 and have to disappoint 14 others. Finding the balance between the short term and long term in the best interest for the team and club is not an easy thing. It comes with big sacrifices. And you go through the highs and lows of results and performances.
“You need the backing of the club if you want the team to go from average, to good, to better, to top. This reselecting and developing of a team is necessary thing to do to make these steps. I did this in Leverkusen the past two seasons selecting on football, behavior and characteristics of the players. I never shy away from difficult decisions and I will certainly not win the popularity contests. Because you can never satisfy everyone. But always keeping standards high to get the best out of the team and each other.
“When I left Leverkusen I wrote on their website the foundation was there to make the next step. The team is rejuvenated and the right characters are in. They are making the next steps right now with their top position in the league. And I applaud the team, staff and my successor for that. I hope they push on and I wish them all the best. I’m inspired…”
De Pauw finished sixth in the Frauen-Bundesliga last season with Bayer Leverkusen after finishing fifth in the previous campaign. He previously took charge of FC Twente and claimed a domestic double in 2022.
(Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
