Real Madrid have added Aston Villa manager Unai Emery to their shortlist to become their new boss in the summer, according to reports from TalkSport. And that should put Manchester United on red alert.
Los Blancos are looking for a new permanent manager this summer, having sacked Xabi Alonso in January following a poor run. Real are going to go without silverware for the first time in five years this season, sitting second in La Liga behind Barcelona and having fallen before the final in the domestic cups and the UEFA Champions League.
Following Alonso's departure, Alvaro Arbeloa was placed in caretaker charge until the end of the season, making the step up from the reserve side Castilla.
Real Madrid Already Have A Number One Target
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez poses for pictures.
Laureus World Sports Awards - Palacio de Cibeles, Madrid, Spain - April 21, 2025 Real Madrid president Florentino Perez arrives ahead of the awards ceremony REUTERS/Juan Medina
But he has been unable to really improve the Spanish side's fortunes and president Florentino Perez will run the rule over candidates to take the club forward when the 2025/26 season comes to an end later this month.
The standout candidate at the moment is Jose Mourinho, who spent three years at the Santiago Bernabeu from 2010 to 2013, winning the La Liga title once, the Copa del Rey once and the Supercopa de Espana once too.
Perez has made Mourinho his number one target to replace Arbeloa at the end of the season, although Mourinho has confirmed he has had no contact with the Real president.
Speaking last week, he said: "No one from Real Madrid has spoken to me. I can guarantee that. I’ve been in football for so many years and I’m used to these things, but there’s nothing from Real Madrid. I have a year to go on my Benfica contract, and that’s all.”
Now, however, Aston Villa boss Emery has emerged as a potential challenger to Mourinho for the job at the Bernabeu.
Emery has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons at Villa Park, turning the Midlands outfit into title challengers and European trophy challengers from relegation candidates.
Villa would be reluctant to let their Spanish coach leave, given the success he has had with them since 2022, but Real are unlikely to be the only club interested in bringing him come the summer.
Manchester United are also on the lookout for a new manager, having sacked Ruben Amorim in January. Michael Carrick was brought in as interim boss and the Englishman has guided the Red Devils back into the Champions League for next season, with United third in the Premier League table. Carrick is favourite to take the role at Old Trafford on a full-time basis, given his stellar work at the club in the last four months, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS will conduct a thorough process in appointing a new manager in the summer.
Reasons Why Unai Emery Is Perfect For Manchester United
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
And Emery should be high in their thinking. Emery has tended to favour a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 formation, according to analysis by the Coaches' Voice, with a "heavy focus on attacking with central numbers and combinations, usually meaning multiple players moving inside from wide".
Emery would be a perfect choice to take the reins at Old Trafford, showcasing at almost every club he has been at just what he is capable of. He won the Europa League three years in a row at Sevilla and won it again at Villarreal in 2020/21. With Villa in the semi-finals this season, he could make it a fifth triumph in the competition in the last 13 years.
Speaking in March, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said on Emery: "I suspect he does not rank high among the candidates [for United]. That is good news for Aston Villa, but it must be frustrating for one of the best, and still most underrated, coaches in Europe."
Darren Bent even claimed Emery was "better than Mikel Arteta" during a talkSPORT chat ranking the best in the Premier League.
If United do not decide to hand Carrick the job on a full-time basis, they should look no further than Emery, but they may have to act fast given the new interest from Real Madrid now.
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Aston Villa Want 'Exceptional' Manager as Man Utd and Real Madrid Target Unai Emery
This would be a crazy development.