Reports suggest that Unai Emery is on the Real Madrid shortlist of potential next managers in the event that they opt to part ways with Alvaro Arbeloa at the end of the campaign.
While Emery's contract runs until the summer of 2029 and the Villans may not feel obliged to negotiate with the Spanish giants, we have seen before that Los Blancos' combination of historical prestige and financial power has proved difficult to turn down.
Villa have come relatively close to silverware on numerous occasions under Emery, and if they fail to emerge victorious in a 2025/26 Europa League campaign that, prior to the semi-finals, they were heavy favourites for, the Basque-born manager may be persuaded by a challenge elsewhere, especially in the Spanish capital with Real Madrid.
We take a look at the potential contenders to be the next Aston Villa manager in the event that Emery does leave the club.
Andoni Iraola
Andoni Iraola is set to bring the curtain down on an impressive three-year spell with Bournemouth when his contract expires at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
The Basque-born manager has taken the Cherries to heights that they wouldn't have imagined were possible when they were sat in the fourth tier of English football just 16 years ago, achieving their highest top-flight points tally in back-to-back seasons in 2023/24 and 2024/25 and on track to do so for a third time this campaign.
Iraola employs a high-risk, high-reward system that shares similarities with Emery's hazardous, yet rewarding system, and in the event that Aston Villa's head coach does opt for a new challenge at the end of the 2025/26 campaign, prosepctive free agent Iraola will surely be considered as a successor.
Oliver Glasner
Similarly to Iraola, Oliver Glasner's contract with Crystal Palace is set to draw to a close at the end of the term as he seeks a new challenge away from Selhurst Park.
While there was a point during the 2025/26 campaign that Eagles supporters wanted the Austrian sacked after a dismal run of form, he's steered them to safety and they're now on the verge of reaching the Conference League final in their debut campaign in a major European competition.
While Glasner is renowned for his successful 3-4-2-1 system at Palace that saw them triumph in the FA Cup last year, he is adaptable and his experience in the top-flight could prove an alluring factor if Villa are tasked with replacing Emery.
Marcelino Garcia Toral
Aston Villa looked to Villarreal when hiring Emery as Steven Gerrard's successor in November 2022, and they could be tempted to look in the direction of Marcelino Garcia Toral this time round, who is set to leave Villarreal via mutual consent following the end of the campaign.
While Marcelino hasn't quite enjoyed the same success with the Yellow Submarines as Emery did, the club did secure UEFA Champions League football for the second successive season under the manager when defeating Levante in emphatic 5-1 fashion.
The Spaniard has opted for a rigid, high-intensity 4-4-2 system since joining the club, similarly to what Emery employed in his time at the club, and they're likely to do their due diligence on the manager after prior success with a former Villarreal manager.
Ernesto Valverde
Ernesto Valverde's third official spell with Athletic Bilbao is set to conclude at the end of the 2025/26 term, with former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic set to succeed him.
Winning La Liga on two occasions with Barcelona, the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana with Bilbao and reaching the UEFA Cup final with Espanyol just shy of 20 years ago, Valverde has forged a reputation as a pragmatic and efficient manager.
His track record for winning silverware is definitely something that will appeal to the Villans, who have not lifted a major honour since clinching the EFL Cup in 1996, but it's yet to be seen as to whether the 62-year-old would favour a move to England.
Marco Silva
Marco Silva's Fulham future remains up in the air, with the club neither announcing his stay nor confirming his exit as his contract reaches it's final stages.
Since taking the West London-based outfit back to the top-flight in the 2021/22 campaign, Silva has changed the narrative at Craven Cottage. Previously considered a yoyo club who failed to spend any longer than two seasons in the Premier League, Fulham are now regular contenders for the European spots.
The Portuguese manager made the jump up to a reputed bigger club when joining Everton in May 2018, and while he failed to make a substantial impact on Merseyside, he's now got more top-flight experience under his belt and could be considered by Villa if the circumstances permit.
