Perfect Arne Slot replacement at Liverpool staring right in FSG’s face – better than Klopp and Iraola | OneFootball

Amid growing speculation that Liverpool could sack Arne Slot at the end of the season, Andoni Iraola has been mentioned as a potential successor. But the owners, Fenway Sports Group, should do their utmost to get Aston Villa manager Unai Emery instead.

Even if Liverpool qualify for the Champions League next season, Slot’s position as the manager at Anfield is far from certain.

Liverpool won the Premier League title under Slot last season, but the Reds have regressed in 2025/26.

Then there was the stinging public criticism of Slot from Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah.

Iraola is leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season and is a candidate to replace Slot at Liverpool, should FSG pull the trigger.

The Spaniard has done an excellent job at modest Bournemouth, who could finish in the Premier League top five this season – ahead of Liverpool.

However, if FSG are keen on bringing an elite manager in place of Slot, then Aston Villa boss Emery is the one they should go for.

Now, of course, no-one is saying that it will be easy for FSG to simply go and get Emery from Villa.

The former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain manager is under contract until 2029,  with Villa, and is more revered there than Olof Mellberg and Juan Pablo Angel combined.

However, instead of going for soon-to-be free agent Iraola as their first choice, FSG should at least test the waters with Emery.

Unai Emery would be perfect for Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp is a legend at Liverpool, and while the Anfield faithful will scoff at the suggestion, Emery is a better manager than the German.

Just look at Emery’s track record and the trophies he has won. And the impact he has made at the clubs he has been the manager of.

During his time as manager of Valencia, Emery consistently guided Los Che to Champions League qualification. At Sevilla, the Spaniard won the Europa League three times in a row. Then at PSG, Emery won Ligue 1 once and the Coupe de France twice each.

The 54-year-old led Arsenal to the final of the Europa League in his first and only full season at the north London club.

Villarreal won the Europa League under Emery in 2020/21 and then reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2021/22. And now Emery has guided Villa to Europa League success this season. Villa have also qualified for the Champions League twice under Emery.

It becomes all the more surreal when you note that when Emery became the Villa manager on November 1, 2022, the team were just a point above the Premier League bottom three.

Emery has joined the true greats of European football. Winning the Europa League with Villa this season means that Emery now has five European titles, equalling Giovanni Trapattoni, Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti as the only other managers to do so.

impact at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool cannot be ever underestimated, but Emery is a manager who has been around the block and has left his imprint on a number of clubs.

The Spaniard is an elite manager who improves players and transforms modest teams into great teams.

Alberto Moreno said Unai Emery better than Jurgen Klopp

Alberto Moreno worked under Klopp at Liverpool and under Emery at Sevilla and Villarreal.

Now 33 and at Como, Moreno won the Europa League with Emery at Sevilla in 2014 and again with his Spanish compatriot at Villarreal in 2021.

Moreno told The Guardian on May 24, 2021: “My relationship with Klopp was perfect and, with Unai, he’s the best coach I’ve ever had.

“He knows how to squeeze the best out of you, what to say at any moment, how to get the group to go out and ‘eat’ the opposition.”

Emery has a better track record than Iraola and is much more experienced, and if FSG are really planning to sack Slot, then the Villa manager is the one they should get.