Unai Emery emerges as contender for Real Madrid job as Aston Villa frustration comes to light

The hierarchy at Madrid is on the hunt for a new head coach, and Emery has emerged as a serious contender to lead the club into its next era. According to talkSPORT, the 54-year-old tactician is being highly considered by Florentino Perez and the Madrid board as they look to transition away from the current leadership of Arbeloa.

Emery's stock has never been higher following his transformative spell in the Premier League with Villa. Since arriving at Villa Park in 2022, the former Arsenal boss has turned the club into a consistent top five Premier League side, showcasing the tactical discipline and recruitment savvy that defined his previous successful stints in La Liga with Sevilla and Villarreal.

Jose Mourinho has also been linked with what would be a sensational return to Madrid. The legendary Portuguese boss spent three years at the club between 2010 and 2013 and won three trophies, including La Liga, during a period of intense rivalry with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

Mourinho currently finds himself at Benfica, but it has been reported that he has a break clause in his contract.

Reacting to the news on talkSPORT Breakfast, former Rangers boss Ally McCoist admitted he would be gutted to see Emery leave England. "I'll be honest with you, I don't want him to go," McCoist said. "Love him, like everything about him... I think it'd be bordering on devastation at Villa Park if they lost him. But, do you know something? The naughty part of me would love to see him handle Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, and those boys."

The pundit believes Emery's track record makes him a natural fit for the biggest jobs in world football, as he added: "I think that would be really, really interesting. It's no surprise (to see Emery linked with Madrid), he is top class. Listen, he was disappointed with the level of performance his team put in yesterday (2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur). But, why would he not come into the thinking of being their next manager? He's proved it at every level, Arsenal aside. He has been absolutely fantastic, but I want him to stay."

Villa finished seventh at the end of Emery's first campaign, which meant they qualified for the Conference League, ending a long drought without European football for the club.

Champions League qualification was achieved a year later, with Villa returning to Europe's top club competition for the first time since 1983. Emery oversaw their run to the quarter-finals, where they lost to the eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain. He could also reach this season's Europa League final, although they are currently 1-0 down on aggregate against Nottingham Forest ahead of the second leg of their last four tie.