Unai Emery may have last laugh over Mikel Arteta, Arne Slot and Pep Guardiola after snub

Remember when Arsenal used to mock Unai Emery?

Even some of the players were at it behind his back, ridiculing his struggles to master the English language. But Emery is no laughing stock now. And with his Aston Villa side’s football doing most of the talking on his behalf, the Spaniard is emerging as a genuine contender for manager of the year.

He should have won it last season ahead of Pep Guardiola. When Emery took charge of Villa in 2022 he accepted a relegation scrap. And in less than three seasons has transformed Villa into serious contenders to win trophies.

Having got Villa into the Champions League last season, Emery has raised the bar and led his team into the quarter-finals of the biggest, best and most demanding competition in club football. And Villa, who are just three points adrift of the Champions League places again, also have a trip to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace to look forward to.

April promises to be some month for Villa supporters. No-one expects Villa to get past Paris Saint-Germain and then go on to conquer Europe. But who knows?

Hands up who thought Villa would beat Bayern Munich to win the European Cup back in 1982? It’s still possible Emery could end up winning two trophies this season. Which other manager can boast that?

Not Arne Slot, Guardiola, Eddie Howe or Enzo Maresca. And certainly not Emery’s successor at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta. Unless Arsenal somehow beat the mighty Real Madrid over two legs in Europe to keep their Champions League dream alive, Arteta will finish yet another campaign empty handed.

But the man fuelled by umpteen cups of coffee a day, is looking well and truly full of beans. And heck, he’s doing so well on a consistent basis, Emery is even performing the minor miracle of getting a tune out of Marcus Rashford.

Rashford’s two goals to help Villa beat Preston in the Cup quarter-finals were scored with a smile on his face. Because Emery has helped the frustrated forward fall in love with football again.

It was Gary Player who once famously said the harder he practices, the better he becomes. And Emery’s work ethic at Villa has become the stuff of legend.

His days start early and finish late. He wants to spend as much time as possible at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground, working on his tactics, solving puzzles and holding meetings with his players.

Villa were a shambles by the time Steven Gerrard was sacked and replaced by Emery. The club’s owners believed the talent at Gerrard’s disposal should have been yielding much better results. The kind of results Villa are churning out now. Following a tough January and February, Villa have now won their last five games in all competitions.

Under Emery’s guidance, they have become one of the most exciting teams to watch. Villa are now a lot of peoples’ second favourite team. While Emery’s ambitions match those of Villa’s two wealthy owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.

With Guardiola having a break this time round from being crowned the best manager in English football again, the smart money will be on Slot if Liverpool go on to be crowned champions. But if things go Emery’s way in the coming weeks, no one would be more deserving of this accolade than him.

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