De Pauw leaves Aston Villa after six months in charge
Robert de Pauw previously spent two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen
- Published
Robert de Pauw has left Aston Villa after just a six-month spell in charge.
Villa are ninth in the Women's Super League after Sunday's 4-0 defeat by Arsenal, and sit just one point above the relegation zone.
The Dutchman, 43, was appointed in June after Carla Ward stepped down from her role at the end of last season.
"We would like to thank Robert for his commitment during his time in charge and wish him well for the future," said a Villa statement on Wednesday.
The club confirmed assistant head coach Shaun Goater will take interim charge until a new manager is appointed.
Villa have won just one game under De Pauw in the WSL this season - a late 3-2 victory last month over bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace.
They finished seventh in the WSL last season after finishing in a club-record high of fifth place under Ward in 2022-23.
However, they have claimed just six points from their opening nine games this season.
Villa face Charlton Athletic in the Women's League Cup later on Wednesday, with only a win able to give them a chance of claiming a place in the knockout stage.
BBC Sport has approached Aston Villa for a response.
Analysis
Emma Sanders, BBC Sport women's football news reporter
Having only joined the club six months ago, it has been a disappointing spell under De Pauw.
Villa showed promise in their opening weekend defeat by defending champions Chelsea but ultimately, one win in nine WSL games is not good enough for a club who had top-five ambitions.
They increased their transfer budget this summer and spent a club-record £250,000 on Brazil forward Gabi Nunes, as well as a fee which could rise to £100,000 for Liverpool midfielder Missy Bo Kearns.
That backing and raised expectations from previous seasons' success meant scrutiny of De Pauw's position increased quickly from supporters when results failed to arrive.
Sources told BBC Sport some players had grown unhappy with his coaching methods and he was sent home earlier this week after one training session which may have been the catalyst for his early exit.