London: Remi Garde has been appointed as the new manager of Aston Villa on a three-and-a-half-year contract, the struggling Premier League club announced on Monday. The former Lyon coach, 49, succeeds Tim Sherwood, who was sacked on October 25 after a run of six successive league defeats that has seen last season's beaten FA Cup finalists slip to the foot of the table.


Remi Garde. Pic/AFP

"It is an unbelievable honour to be the manager of such an illustrious football club," Garde said in a statement on the Villa website. "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."