Remi Garde Appointed Aston Villa Manager: Latest Details and Reaction

Aston Villa officially announced former Lyon boss Remi Garde as the club's new manager on Monday, replacing Tim Sherwood after the latter was sacked following a defeat against Swansea City.

Garde's appointment was confirmed on Villa's official website, with the club announcing the Frenchman signed a four-year contract. Per the report, he said:

"

It is an unbelievable honour to be the manager of such an illustrious football club.

I've had extremely positive meetings with both the owner, Randy Lerner, and Chief Executive Tom Fox. They have ambitious plans for the Club and I'm excited that they have turned to me to help them realise them.

Obviously we have a difficult task in front of us but I'm looking forward to the challenge with the support of everyone who loves Aston Villa.

"

Garde, a former Arsenal player, managed Lyon between 2011 and 2014 before leaving the Ligue 1 club for personal reasons. In that time, he left a big impression with his tactical versatility, integration of youth players and his ability to keep the squad relevant without a major budget.

As shared by BT Sport Football, French football pundit Julien Laurens is a big fan:

Garde has been a popular name on the coaching market ever since he left Lyon, and according to Get French Football News, he turned down the Sunderland job before communications with Aston Villa started.

Per the same source, Garde had been working as a football commentator for Canal+, and when he had to drop out of providing commentary for the derby between Manchester United and Manchester City, L'Equipe immediately connected the dots with Villa.

The 49-year-old took his time deciding on his next destination after leaving Lyon, and Ligue 1 writer Mohammed Ali is one of many who think Villa should count their blessings that he did:

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Think Remi Garde (if appointed) will do well at Villa. Solid manager, did well with Lyon with virtually no money. Good for youth too. #AVFC

— Mohammed Ali (@mohammedali_93) October 25, 2015"

Former Arsenal team-mate Lee Dixon and French football expert Matt Spiro also believe he will be a success in Birmingham:

Fans shouldn't expect any miracles, however, and likewise, Garde should know he's in for a massive challenge. Villa have lost eight of their first 10 Premier League matches this season, and while some of that may have been Sherwood's fault, one could easily argue the former Tottenham Hotspur boss was doomed to fail.

Villa sold Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph during the summer, severely weakening the squad, and the club's issues run much deeper than the coaching position.

ESPN FC's Nick Miller put it this way:

"

Sherwood is of course not the only problem at Villa, and dismissing him will not solve things completely. Many of the transfers (largely orchestrated by new sporting director Hendrik Almstadt) have been questionable, although they should of course be given time to bed in. Randy Lerner's interest in the club has waned to the extent that he's trying to sell up; as a result, the club smacks of one just waiting for something to happen, not quite able to plan or build anything significant given their limbo. Sherwood could point to all of this and feel quite hard-done by, but in the end, his performances haven't been good enough even with these other factors.

"

With the likes of Andre Ayew, Jack Grealish and Adama Traore, Villa boast some real quality, and if Garde can work his magic and find a way to get these players on the same page, avoiding relegation to the Championship should be possible.

It won't be easy, and it will take time, but Garde proved himself to be a superb tactician and man-manager with Lyon―there's no reason why he couldn't do the same in the Premier League.