Liverpool legend Graeme Souness insists he was not surprised to see Aston Villa choose to sack Tim Sherwood on Sunday.
Sherwood was only in the job at Villa Park for eight months, but a poor start to the current campaign which sees the club bottom of the Premier League with only four points from ten games did for the former Tottenham Hotspur boss.
Villa have now started the search for a new manager and Souness is not surprised that Sherwood paid for the club's poor form with his job.
He said on Sky Sports Super Sunday: "He spent £50m in the summer and they've not seen anything for that return. So I'm not surprised.
"Aston Villa are one of those clubs who feel they should be up nearer the top than the bottom and they are a big club – they could be a very big club", Souness continued.
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"I'm not surprised, it's the way the game rolls now.
"They will be thinking we could get relegated this year, so they've made the change now."
Former Lyon coach Remi Garde has been installed as the early favourite to take over at Villa Park, but several other contenders are believed to be in the running.
Names mooted include current Real Sociedad boss David Moyes, ex-Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, former Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson and even ex-Aston Villa manager David O'Leary.
