Fabrizio Romano drops big Unai Emery to Real Madrid update as Aston Villa boss offers five-word response | OneFootball

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has dropped a no-nonsense five-word message to speculation he is now the favourite to become the new Real Madrid manager, with Fabrizio Romano also sharing what he knows and amid surprising claims made about interim coach Alvaro Arbeloa.

The Spanish giants are under the caretaker management of Arbeloa after the decision was taken in early January to remove Xabi Alonso from the Bernabeu hotseat after just eight months at the helm. While Alonso departed with a win percentage record that exceeded 70%, his inability to handle the big personalities in the Real Madrid dressing room ultimately cost him dear.

Since his exit, Jurgen Klopp has been heavily touted for the role, while both Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti have been touted for third spells, respectively at the helm.

However, with Klopp continuing to distance himself with a return to frontline coaching, multiple reports in the Spanish media on Thursday suggested Emery was now at the forefront of Real Madrid’s thinking and they now ready to prioritise the appointment of the much-admired Aston Villa boss.

Responding to that speculation, Romano has now provided a telling update on the 54-year-old.

“I have received many questions about the situation involving Unai Emery and Real Madrid. Let me clarify something. At Real Madrid, the process to select a new manager has not started yet,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.

“They will give Alvaro Arbeloa the opportunity to manage the team from now until the end of the season.

“It has not been an exciting start, especially in the Champions League and domestic cup competitions, although the situation in La Liga has been quite good.

“Several candidates are being discussed internally, but this is only an internal conversation at this stage. Real Madrid are trying to understand who could be on a shortlist if they decide to change the manager in the summer.

“It is still very early. There are no negotiations, no talks, and no guarantees. It is simply a potential plan for the summer.

“For now, Unai Emery remains fully focused on Aston Villa from now until the end of the season, and we will have plenty of time to see what happens next.”

Emery drops five word response amid Arbeloa claims

Emery is represented by super-agent Jorge Mendes, who is well known to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and has many dealings with him in the past over several high-profile transfers.

As a result, links between Emery and Real Madrid certainly make a lot of sense and tick plenty of boxes. A win percentage rate throughout his career of 53.87%, together with 11 major honours that he has won, certainly proves he has the pedigree.

When questioned on the links, however, Emery was keeping his cards very close to his chest, offering a blunt, five-word response following Aston Villa’s 3-2 win over RB Salzburg in the Europa League.

“Nothing to say about it,” was all Emery had to say to reporters when asked about Real Madrid.

Links to the Villa boss have also been given further traction amid, what must be confirmed at this stage as unfounded claims in the Spanish media that Arbeloa is also struggling to get a grip on Real’s big-name personalities and amid reports he has already slipped out of their thinking with regards to a permanent appointment.

And with his role in charge of the side due to end once the current campaign is over, Real’s quest to appoint a permanent replacement for Alonso will officially begin.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are reportedly ready to test Manchester United’s resolve to retain the services of Diogo Dalot in the closing days of the January window and in a move that could have serious long-term repercussions for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur are set to face a huge transfer headache amid strong reports in Spain that claim Real Madrid are to offer them a staggering €100m fee to sign one of their best players, though TEAMtalk can explain why such claims must be treated with caution.

Finally, Real Madrid have reportedly decided to step away from signing a top Bayern Munich star this summer, effectively giving Liverpool a clear run at his signing.