Aston Villa plan Unai Emery showdown 'talks' with sack 'not impossible'

Aston Villa are not ruling out parting ways with Unai Emery if results continue to take a downward turn in the coming weeks.

Emery's side have endured a poor start to the Premier League season, with no wins from four games so far following their 2-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest last time out.

After a turbulent summer, during which they lost a number of key players, concerns have grown about what could spiral into a long season at Villa Park.

Former Aston Villa scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that sacking Emery is "not impossible" despite a feeling that the blame cannot be placed solely at his feet.

Villa plan to give the manager time and support to turn things around, after last season's Premier League campaign began with no wins from five and finished in fourth place.

However, the longer they go without a win on the board, the more concerns will grow and there is a feeling they could be forced to pull the trigger on Emery if things worsen.

Could Unai Emery be under pressure at Aston Villa?

Former Aston Villa scout Byrna King told Football Insider on 2 September that Emery could be the next big-name manager to leave his post if their poor results continue.

Ultimately, any manager in the Premier League who goes winless in their first four games will face questions over their form and further defeats will only add to the pressure.

Despite Aston Villa's obvious reluctance to part ways with Emery, questions have been asked about how long they can go without a win before a decision has to be made.

"There isn't a manager in the Premier League who can go without a win and not be under pressure," Brown told Football Insider.

"The question is about when it becomes a big problem, because it's four games now, what happens if they go five, six, seven without a win? Because then they're in trouble.

"It's difficult to point the blame at the manager when you look at everything that happened in the transfer window with losing all of their best players.

"Yes, they brought in replacements and it's the manager's job to get them up to speed, but there's only so much he can do when his squad has been weakened like this.

"Villa will want to stick by Emery for as long as possible because of everything he's done for them, they love him there.

"But it isn't impossible that if this run without a win keeps going, then they could be forced to make a decision on his future.

"Any club in their position would have to consider the situation, and if these results continue, I'm sure they will have talks internally about the best way to respond."

How does Emery feel about Aston Villa's start?

Amid what has been a poor start to the season for Aston Villa, questions have also been asked about Emery's feelings towards the club and his response to their actions.

The boss is believed to have been frustrated by losing so many players in the transfer window, and after four games without a win, his anger is unlikely to have subsided.

Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider on 9 September that Emery could be tempted to walk away from Aston Villa and has plenty of suitors elsewhere.

Should one of those suitors propose a new challenge for the boss, there is every chance he could be lured away from Villa Park given his ongoing frustrations.

Emery has been linked with other roles since he arrived at Aston Villa, including the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and could now be tempted away.