Unai Emery has transformed Aston Villa .(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus says the club should appoint Aston Villa manager Unai Emery this summer.
Thomas Tuchel is set to step down at the end of the season after Bayer Leverkusen ended Bayern’s 11-year winning run in the Bundesliga.
Leverkusen manager, Xabi Alonso, had been the early favourite but he’s turned down approaches from Bayern and Liverpool to remain at the club.
Julian Nagelsmann, who managed Bayern for 18 months before he was sacked and replaced by Tuchel, then held talks over a return to the club.
But Nagelsmann signed a two-year extension with the German national team earlier this week.
Options are now thin on the ground, particularly as Bayern have typically only hired managers that speak German.
But Matthaus says that Emery could pick up the language quickly and deserves to be appointed at the Allianz Arena for his work with Villa.
Tuchel will leave at the end of the season (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
‘I would get Unai Emery from Aston Villa. He’s doing a great job there,’ said Matthaus.
‘He has a lot of experience – including internationally – and he has titles to his name with Sevilla, for example.
‘He speaks perfect English. He can then learn German, but the players can all speak English anyway, so I don’t see any language barrier.
‘Emery would also be someone who would bring in a new wind, he would be a new face in the Bundesliga and That would fit well with Bayern Munich.’
Bayern have dismissed claims they’re close to appointing Zinedine Zidane.
The Frenchman has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in 2021 for a second time as manager.
Ralf Rangnick, the former interim manager of Manchester United, is another target for the Germans.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.