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Aaron Danks
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Aaron Danks (born 15 June 1983) is an English professional football manager who currently works as an assistant coach for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.
Key Information
Danks was assistant manager to Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht, before leaving to be assistant to Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa. He later joined Michael Carrick's staff at Middlesbrough. He has also coached at Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and England U21.
Career
[edit]Youth coaching
[edit]Danks' first role in football was as a Community Football Development Officer at Birmingham City, joining in 1999 and later coaching in their academy.[1] In 2005, Danks was hired as a youth coach at the West Bromwich Albion Academy, working for the club for over a decade between 2005 and 2016, before leaving after being selected by The Football Association to become Head of Specialist Coaching and Lead Offensive Specialist Coach for various levels of the England national team.[2] Danks was part of the coaching staff for the England U20 team that won the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[3]
As part of his work with the FA, Danks spent a short time with basketball team Golden State Warriors, working closely with Stephen Curry and his individual development coach.[4]
In 2019, Danks attained a UEFA Pro Licence, graduating alongside the likes of Steven Gerrard and Peter Schmeichel.[5]
Danks worked as assistant manager for the England U21 side for one year from 2020 to 2021.
Senior coaching
[edit]Anderlecht
[edit]On 1 July 2021, Danks was appointed assistant manager to Vincent Kompany at Belgian First Division A club Anderlecht.[6]
Aston Villa
[edit]On 1 September 2021, Danks departed Anderlecht to join Premier League club Aston Villa, as assistant to Dean Smith, following the departure of Richard O'Kelly.[7] On 13 November 2021, following the sacking of Dean Smith and the appointment of Steven Gerrard as Aston Villa manager it was confirmed that Danks would retain his position as assistant manager.[8]
On 21 October 2022, the day after the sacking of Gerrard as Villa manager, it was announced that Danks would remain at Villa and act as caretaker manager for their upcoming Premier League match against Brentford,[9] which Villa won 4–0.[10] On 24 October, Aston Villa announced that Unai Emery would take over as manager, however, due to work permit formalities - Danks would remain as interim manager until 1 November.[11] On 31 October, it was confirmed that Danks had been offered another coaching role at Aston Villa, away from the first team.[12]
Middlesbrough
[edit]On 1 December 2022, Danks departed Aston Villa and joined Michael Carrick's backroom staff at Middlesbrough as a first team coach.[13][14]
Bayern Munich
[edit]On 21 June 2024, he rejoined the coaching staff of Vincent Kompany at Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.[15][16]
Managerial statistics
[edit]- As of 29 October 2022
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Aston Villa (caretaker) | 21 October 2022 | 1 November 2022 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0 | [17] |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0 | — | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "Match Preview: Aston Villa". Brentford Football Club. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "The Specialist Coach: A Conversation with Aaron Danks". Player Development Project. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ Wilson, Matt (13 June 2017). "Danks very much! Former West Brom coach wins U20 World Cup with England". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ Townley, John (3 September 2021). "Aston Villa coach Aaron Danks a 'pioneer' ready for his next challenge". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "FA Level 5 in Coaching Football graduates celebrate at SGP | The Boot Room". The Football Association. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Assistant-coach Aaron Danks leaves RSCA | RSC Anderlecht". www.rsca.be. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Aston Villa appoint Aaron Danks as First Team Coach". Aston Villa Football Club. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ Preece, Ashley (17 November 2021). "Transfer gurus to fitness fanatics - Steven Gerrard's 30-man Villa support team". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Board Update". Aston Villa Football Club. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ Preece, Ashley (23 October 2022). "Aston Villa vs Brentford LIVE updates from Villa Park". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Villa appoint Unai Emery as new Head Coach". Aston Villa Football Club. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "Aston Villa confirm Neil Cutler departure". Aston Villa Football Club. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Aaron Danks Joins Coaching Staff". Middlesbrough F.C. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "Ex-Aston Villa and England coach Aaron Danks joins Middlesbrough's backroom team". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "Aaron Danks Completes Bayern Munich Move". Middlesbrough F.C. 21 June 2024.
- ^ "This is Vincent Kompany's coaching staff at FC Bayern". FC Bayern Munich. 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Aaron Danks | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
Aaron Danks
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Early life and playing career
Personal background
Aaron Danks was born on 15 June 1983 in Birmingham, England.[3][1] He grew up in the nearby town of Solihull, in the West Midlands region.[4] Danks developed an early interest in football coaching, beginning his career in the field while still in his early twenties. He worked as a tutor and sports coach at Solihull College around 2005, where he gained initial experience in youth development.[4] Concurrently, he took on part-time roles at Birmingham City's academy, balancing these commitments with his lecturing duties to build foundational expertise in player education and tactical instruction.[5]Amateur playing career
Aaron Danks competed in football at the amateur level during his youth, without advancing to professional ranks. Born in Birmingham, England, on 15 June 1983, his playing career remained confined to non-professional environments, as he shifted focus to coaching from the age of 15. This early transition underscored his aptitude for player development over personal athletic pursuit, setting the foundation for his subsequent roles in youth academies.[6]Coaching career
Early youth coaching roles
Danks began his coaching career at the age of 16 as an apprentice coach in the community programme at Birmingham City Football Club, where he spent seven years developing grassroots talent and transitioning to part-time academy duties while lecturing at college.[5] During this period, he focused on schoolboy programmes across various age groups, contributing to the club's youth development initiatives in the early 2000s.[7] Following his time at Birmingham, Danks took charge of the Under-18s team at Solihull College (affiliated with Solihull Moors) from 2005 to 2009, serving as a tutor and sports coach.[7] His success in leading this side, including implementing structured training and games programmes for ages 12 to 13, paved the way for a full-time professional opportunity and highlighted his early expertise in youth progression.[5][4] In 2005, Danks joined West Bromwich Albion's academy on a full-time basis, where he remained for a decade until 2016, progressively advancing through roles in youth development.[1] Initially appointed as lead coach for the 12- to 16-year-old bracket, he later headed the Under-18s team from 2014 to 2016 and contributed to the Under-21s setup.[3] A key innovation during his tenure was establishing the academy's video-analysis department from rudimentary resources, which enhanced tactical training and player evaluation across age groups.[5] Under directors like Dan Ashworth, Danks' work emphasized possession-based coaching and helped develop players who progressed to professional levels, solidifying his reputation in English youth football.[4]Football Association positions
Aaron Danks joined the Football Association (FA) in June 2016 as Lead National Specialist Coach, focusing on in-possession play across England's men's youth development teams from U15 to U21 levels. In this role, he supported national coaches at St George's Park by enhancing ball retention, attack construction, and build-up strategies through detailed analysis, research, and observations of club and international matches.[8] His work emphasized creating a collaborative "club feel" among staff, with regular in-person meetings at least three times a week to foster game understanding.[8] In January 2019, Danks was promoted to Head of Specialist Coaching, where he oversaw specialist development programs and continued to influence youth coaching methodologies. During his five-year tenure at the FA, he served as assistant manager for the England U20 team, contributing to their success at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where England defeated Venezuela 1-0 in the final to claim the title.[8] He also worked with emerging talents such as Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, helping shape their development through targeted sessions on possession and attacking principles.[6] Later in his FA career, following the restructuring of the specialist coaching system, Danks was appointed assistant coach to Aidy Boothroyd for the England U21 team in the year prior to his departure. His contributions extended to broader initiatives like "How We Play and How We Coach," promoting consistent tactical philosophies across age groups. Danks left the FA in May 2021 to join RSC Anderlecht as assistant manager.RSC Anderlecht
In June 2021, Aaron Danks joined the coaching staff of RSC Anderlecht as an assistant coach ahead of the 2021–22 season, following his role as assistant coach for England's U21 national team.[9][10] His appointment was part of head coach Vincent Kompany's efforts to bolster the technical team with experienced youth development specialists, drawing on Danks' prior expertise at the Football Association where he served as Lead Professional Development Phase Coach for five years.[9] Danks worked primarily under Kompany during the early part of the season, contributing to nine matches in total—eight under Kompany and one under interim coach Craig Bellamy after Kompany's departure in early September 2021.[3] In this brief tenure from 1 July to 31 August 2021, he focused on integrating tactical and developmental strategies into the first-team setup, leveraging his background in player pathway programs from previous roles at West Bromwich Albion.[3][10] Danks left Anderlecht on 1 September 2021 to return to England as assistant coach to Dean Smith at Aston Villa, marking the end of a short but transitional period in his career that reunited him with former colleagues from the English football system.[11] This move allowed him to apply his Anderlecht experience in a Premier League context, while the club acknowledged his contributions to the staff's preseason preparations.[11]Aston Villa
Aaron Danks joined Aston Villa as first-team coach in September 2021, arriving from RSC Anderlecht to bolster Dean Smith's coaching staff.[12] His appointment brought expertise from his prior roles, including five years with the Football Association as lead offensive specialist coach for England's youth teams, where he contributed to the Under-20s' 2017 FIFA World Cup victory.[12] Danks worked under multiple head coaches during his tenure at Villa Park. He assisted Dean Smith for nine matches before Smith's dismissal in November 2021, then supported Steven Gerrard for 40 games across the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons.[3] Following Gerrard's sacking on October 20, 2022, Danks stepped up as caretaker manager for two matches, securing a 4–0 Premier League victory over Brentford on October 23 but suffering a 4–0 home defeat to Newcastle United four days later.[13] When Unai Emery was appointed head coach on November 1, 2022, Danks was excluded from the new first-team setup, though he initially considered an alternative role within the club.[14] He departed Aston Villa permanently in December 2022 to join Middlesbrough as first-team coach under Michael Carrick.[13]Middlesbrough
Aaron Danks joined Middlesbrough on 1 December 2022 as a first-team coach and assistant head coach under manager Michael Carrick, departing Aston Villa after a year in their senior setup.[15][3] His appointment came during the FIFA World Cup break, bringing a non-playing coach's perspective to a staff that included former professionals like Carrick, Jonathan Woodgate, and Grant Leadbitter.[16] Danks' prior collaborations with Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht and Aston Villa, along with his Football Association roles—including as lead in-possession specialist coach and contributions to England U20's 2017 FIFA World Youth Championship win—positioned him to enhance the club's attacking and developmental strategies.[5][15] In his role, Danks focused on building player relationships to foster trust and adaptability in training sessions, emphasizing tailored coaching that progressed from basic to advanced concepts based on squad needs.[5] He played a pivotal part in the January 2023 transfer window by leveraging his Aston Villa connections to secure season-long loans for academy graduates Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsey, providing insights into their abilities and character to convince both players to join.[17] Archer, in particular, made an immediate impact with goals in his first two starts, bolstering Middlesbrough's promotion push in the EFL Championship.[17] Carrick highlighted Danks' value in offering an alternative viewpoint on the game, which helped integrate young talents and refine the team's possession-based approach during the 2022–23 season, in which the club finished fourth, qualified for the playoffs, and lost in the semi-finals to Coventry City.[16][18] Danks remained with Middlesbrough through the 2023–24 season, in which the team finished eighth in the Championship standings.[3][19] His tenure ended on 21 June 2024 when he left to reunite with Kompany at Bayern Munich as an assistant coach, following agreed terms for his release from the club.[2][20] Carrick described Danks as a trusted and integral staff member whose departure was a significant loss, underscoring his influence on the team's progress over 18 months.[21]Bayern Munich
In July 2024, Aaron Danks joined FC Bayern Munich as an assistant coach, signing a contract until June 2027 and reuniting with head coach Vincent Kompany, with whom he had previously collaborated at RSC Anderlecht in 2021 and Aston Villa from 2021 to 2022.[3][6] His appointment followed his role as first-team coach at Middlesbrough, where he had worked under Kompany since December 2022.[20] At Bayern, Danks holds a UEFA Pro Licence and is primarily responsible for the daily planning of training sessions, working directly on the pitch with the players each day to implement tactical and technical development.[6] This role leverages his extensive experience in youth and senior coaching, including over a decade at West Bromwich Albion's academy from 2005 to 2016 and stints with England's U20 and U21 national teams from 2016 to 2021.[1] He also briefly served as caretaker manager for two Premier League matches at Aston Villa in 2022.[6] During the 2024–25 season, Danks contributed to Bayern's coaching staff as the team secured the Bundesliga title, finishing first with 82 points from 25 wins, 7 draws, and 2 losses, clinching the championship on 4 May 2025 after a 3–3 draw at RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen's 2–2 result against SC Freiburg.[22][23] This marked Bayern's 33rd German league title and their 12th in the last 13 seasons.[23] As of November 2025, in the ongoing 2025–26 campaign, Bayern remain competitive in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League, with recent results including a 3–0 home win over Bayer Leverkusen on 1 November and a 2–2 draw away to Union Berlin on 8 November.[24]Managerial record and honours
Managerial statistics
Aaron Danks has limited experience as a head manager, having served only in a caretaker capacity for Aston Villa in the Premier League during October 2022.[3][25] This brief tenure followed the sacking of Steven Gerrard, with Danks stepping in for two matches before Unai Emery's appointment.[2] His overall managerial record stands at 2 matches, 1 win, 0 draws, and 1 loss, yielding a 50% win percentage and 1.50 points per match.[25][26] The caretaker spell began with a 4–0 home victory over Brentford on 23 October 2022, marking Aston Villa's largest-ever win in a manager's debut match and Danks' first game in senior management.[27] This was followed by a 0–4 away defeat to Newcastle United on 29 October 2022, after which Danks returned to his assistant role.[28] No further head managerial roles have been recorded as of November 2025, with Danks continuing in assistant positions at clubs including Middlesbrough and Bayern Munich.[3][29]Managerial record
| Team | From | To | Pld | W | D | L | Win % | Pts | PPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa (caretaker) | 23 Oct 2022 | 29 Oct 2022 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0 | 3 | 1.50 |