Unai Emery exit: Aston Villa boss in running for Real Madrid job after bombshell
Aston Villa have reached new heights under the stewardship of Unai Emery.
The Spaniard has completely changed the Villans’ fortunes and has taken them back to the highest echelons of the game.
He has taken the Villa Park outfit back into the Champions League and could find himself in a position to win the trophy that the B6 outfit last lifted in 1982 if his side can better Paris Saint-Germain over two legs.
However, that success has not gone unnoticed and Villa could lose the former Arsenal manager after a new development.
Emery could leave for Real Madrid
Emery has emerged as a contender for the Real Madrid job, with Carlo Ancelotti expected to leave his post at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer.
Xabi Alonso, Andoni Iraola and Jurgen Klopp are understood to be amongst the favourites to be chosen to succeed the Italian but the Villa man is also under consideration, according to the latest bookmakers’ odds.
Emery is 25/1 with Bet Victor to take the reins in the Spanish capital, an outside contender but not definitely ruled out as a potential successor.
Those odds may shorten if the Spaniard can mastermind a run to the Champions League final or go one better and win the trophy.
Aston Villa cannot afford to lose Emery
Emery is a key cog in the Villa machine that is trying to achieve a long-term transformation of the West Midlands club’s fortunes.
The Villans are trying to become European regulars and the manager’s coaching abilities are central to that plan as he has shown that he can turn water into wine at Villa Park, with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio just the latest evidence.
| Stats | Rashford | Asensio |
| Matches | 12 | 11 |
| Goals | 3 | 8 |
| Assists | 4 | 1 |
| Minutes played | 635 | 554 |
Losing Emery would be brutal for Villa, especially considering that the list of replacements would not inspire confidence amongst the B6 faithful and would almost definitely be a step down from the former Gunners boss.
Villa must do everything that they can to ward off any clubs that are interested in Emery’s services, he is absolutely vital to the trajectory of the one-time European champions and cannot be allowed to depart, as the project could fall apart without him.