Unai Emery remains Newcastle’s No 1 choice for their managerial vacancy, but it is thought the Villarreal boss has reservations about joining the club.
The Spaniard is the leading candidate to succeed Steve Bruce and Sky Sports News reported on Tuesday that talks have taken place between Emery and the club’s hierarchy over the past 48 hours.
Although Emery – who has €6m (£5.1m) release clause in his Villarreal contract – is open to hearing what Newcastle have to say, it is understood he has reservations over the current project at St James’ Park and is weighing up the risk of leaving the La Liga side, where he is settled.
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Speaking after leading his Villarreal side to a 2-0 win over Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, the former Arsenal head coach said: “There has been an interest from Newcastle, that is all.
“No offer yet, which will have to be to me and to the club. There is nothing else. Before saying yes or not, I will talk to the club.”
However, earlier on Tuesday Villarreal president Fernando Roig refuted any such links, saying: “I’m sure that his mind is not drifting elsewhere.
“I know Unai has a contract with us and contracts are there to be fulfilled. We hope that we will be able to see that contract through until the end.”
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Newcastle want to have a manager in place by the weekend, ahead of their game away at Brighton and there is a feeling Emery has unfinished business in the Premier League since he was sacked by Arsenal in 2019.
Emery was appointed Villarreal manager in July 2020 and led them to the Europa League title last season, beating Manchester United on penalties in the final.
A source close to former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca has told Sky Sports News that, as it stands, it is unlikely the Portuguese will be appointed as Steve Bruce’s successor.
Lucien Favre, Eddie Howe and Roberto Martinez are other candidates that Newcastle remain interested in.
Bruce was relieved of his duties 13 days after the Saudi Arabia-backed £305m takeover of Newcastle last month following a poor run of form at the start of the season which culminated in a 3-2 defeat by Tottenham.
Graeme Jones has assumed caretaker charge and oversaw Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to league leaders Chelsea.
The Magpies remain winless in the Premier League after drawing four games and losing six of their 10 matches so far this term.
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Analysis: Bloody nose for owners if Newcastle miss target
Sky Sports News’ Keith Downie:
“If they fail to get their number one target, it doesn’t really look too good, and they’re going to have to look elsewhere. It would be a bit of a bloody nose for them early in their tenure, but all new groups have difficult periods at the start.
“Remember, this group that have taken over Newcastle have never been involved in running a football club. There’s no sporting director, there’s no director of football.
“Do they have a Plan B? They’ve been speaking to a number of people for a few weeks now. Paulo Fonseca is one, Roberto Martinez is high up on their list, reports suggest Eddie Howe has been spoken to
“I don’t think they were pinning everything on Unai Emery, and I think Newcastle are aware that this is a new consortium, a new challenge, and they need to keep their options open. And this, if Emery does reject Newcastle, proves why they need to do that.
“It would certainly appear from reports that have come out of Spain overnight that Unai Emery is unsure about taking this role. As far as Newcastle are concerned, they still feel Emery is the man they want to take this club forward. They feel he has all the credentials they are looking for.
“I think today will be critical for this story. Clearly Newcastle want Unai Emery, so much so that they wanted him in charge for the next Premier League match on Saturday against Brighton.”
Newcastle’s upcoming fixtures
November 6: Brighton (A)
November 20: Brentford (H)
November 27: Arsenal (A)
November 30: Norwich (H)
December 4: Burnley (H)
December 12: Leicester (A) – live on Sky Sports Premier League
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