Gerard Houllier has been confirmed as the new Aston Villa manager.
Villa have been searching for a new boss since Martin O’Neill shockingly quit the club on the eve of the new Premier League season.
Sven-Goran Eriksson and Bob Bradley were thought to be leading candidates for the post, but former Liverpool chief has been handed the role after being released from his position of National Coaching Director with the French Football Federation.
Houllier, who led Liverpool to a domestic and European cup treble in 2001, said: “I am very happy and proud to join this great and historic club.
“It was very difficult for me to leave the FFF, but I could not turn down the opportunity to manage a club whose approach, both on and off the pitch, I have long admired.
“Aston Villa is one of England’s biggest clubs and has an amazing set of fans.
“This is a tremendous challenge and one I am very much looking forward to taking on.”
And chief executive Paul Faulkner added on the club’s official website: “Two of the key qualities we identified as being of crucial importance were experience of managing in the Premier League and a strategy for building on the existing strengths in our current squad.
“Gerard Houllier comfortably satisfies these criteria. In fact, he stands out as a football man who understands the ethos of our club and shares our core values.
“We look forward to working with Gerrard and supporting him. We ask our supporters to get behind the new manager and the team as we look to build on the progress we have made over the past four years in all areas of the club.”