Aston Villa have parted company with women's head coach Natalia Arroyo following a winless opening to the Women's Super League season.
The decision came after Sunday's heavy 4-0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur, Villa's second loss in their first four league matches. They had collected just two points from their opening four games and were sitting second-bottom of the 14-team WSL table.
Arroyo arrived at Villa in January 2025, taking over from interim boss Shaun Goater after Robert de Pauw's departure.
Her introduction to the club was difficult, with Villa losing their opening five league matches under her management. However, the team eventually produced a dramatic turnaround, winning their final five matches of the 2024-25 campaign to finish sixth. A 5-2 victory over Arsenal was among the standout results during that run.
The following season proved considerably more difficult. Villa finished ninth in the WSL with 20 points from 22 matches, and their poor form carried into the beginning of the new campaign.
That sequence left little room for improvement once the new season began. Villa drew their opening two matches before suffering consecutive defeats, including the loss at Tottenham that ultimately brought Arroyo's tenure to an end.
Arroyo's departure brings to an end a spell of around 20 months in charge, during which she initially helped Villa recover from a difficult position before results deteriorated during her later period at the club.
Villa have now turned to women's technical adviser Brian Sørensen on a temporary basis. The former Everton manager is set to take charge for Wednesday's Subway Players Cup meeting with Newcastle United.
The club will now begin the search for a permanent successor as they attempt to move away from the bottom end of the WSL and improve their fortunes over the remainder of the season.
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