Aston Villa have a ‘strong interest’ in hiring Brighton manager Graham Potter, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Gerrard under pressure?

The Midlands club have had a poor start to the campaign in what is Steven Gerrard’s first full season in charge at Villa Park.

An opening day Premier League defeat to Bournemouth was followed up by a 2-1 win over Everton, but back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and West Ham have left Villa on just three points from four games.

The next few weeks appear to be crucial in regards to Gerrard’s long-term future at Bodymoor Heath, and it looks as if a list of potential replacements is already being drawn up at boardroom level.

The Latest: Potter interest

Football Insider shared an update regarding Villa and Potter on Monday lunchtime.

They claim that NSWE won’t hesitate to make a managerial change if results don’t improve, adding that the club have a ‘strong interest’ in Potter, who grew up supporting Villa. Former Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino is thought to be another manager of interest.

The Verdict: How long will Gerrard get?

Gerrard has been backed by NSWE in the transfer market, but he has won 12 of his 33 games in charge and lost 16, earning an average of just 1.24 points per game. [Transfermarkt]

Things don’t get much easier for the Villa boss in the immediate future, with a trip to Arsenal tonight ahead of hosting Manchester City on Saturday.

Should Villa fail to get anything from these next two challenging fixtures, you’d expect that speculation will only increase, particularly if they are beaten heavily, especially as there are now two managers linked with possibly taking over from Gerrard.