Brought in to take over and turn things around after Tim Sherwood’s dreadful start to the 2015-16 season, Rémi Garde did his utmost at Aston Villa, but to no avail.
Even the fans knew the appointment was a lost cause, with most of them aware the problems ran far deeper than what was happening on the pitch.
With a new owner and a new manager to boot, it seems things are on the up in the Midlands, but Rémi Garde remains without a job, which may not have been the case had he accepted a job offer back in 2007.
Always a close friend of Arsène Wenger after playing under him at Arsenal, the former defensive midfielder even called his former manager about the Aston Villa job, just for some advice.
However, back in 2007, rumours started doing the rounds that Garde had been offer the role of director of football at Arsenal; a move which, sadly, never came to fruition.
Were they just rumours, though? L’Equipe went out of their way to find out as they interviewed the 50-year-old for their Tuesday edition.
About the job offer, Garde said: “It was a rumour that wasn’t completely unfounded. It’s true that the job interested me.”
Grade eventually became Lyon manager between 2011 and 2014, and then was offered the Aston Villa job.
You know the rest already.
