Aston Villa have today appointed Robert de Pauw as their new Head Coach, replacing Carla Ward who left at the end of the season.
Subject to regulatory clearance, de Pauw joins the midlands club from Bayer Leverkusen in the Frauen Bundesliga after two seasons with the German club.
Prior to his stint in Germany, he guided FC Twente to a historic League and Cup double in 2022.
In an official statement on Aston Villa’s website, Lee Billard, the clubs Head of Women’s Football said: “After an extremely methodical and extensive managerial search, we are delighted to welcome Robert to Aston Villa Football Club.
“The process we used in order to find the best fit for the managerial position took some time and included a thorough search of the best leagues in women’s football.
“We considered all aspects from coaching philosophies, development of teams over a period of time and, of course, development of players.
“This detailed procedure led us to Robert, who we know has a clear philosophy and has an insatiable hunger to implement a winning culture at the football club.
“His development of senior players and younger players, both domestically and internationally, speaks for itself and we are excited to see him get started.”
Robert himself gave an interview to Aston Villa’s official website, in whih he heavily credited Carla Ward.
He said: “You have to give credit to the previous manager and her staff. Everything looks good.