Sources: Aston Villa sounding out Mauricio Pochettino and Unai Emery
Aston Villa are sounding out Mauricio Pochettino and Unai Emery over their manager's job, sources have told Football Insider.
The club's US owners Naseef Sawiris and Wes Edens are keeping their options open about a possible manager change less than a year after Steven Gerrard was appointed.
It is believed Gerrard's position is not under immediate threat, but the Villa chiefs could act if the team does not significantly improve before the mid-November break for the World Cup.
Pochettino and Emery are both aware of Villa's interest and are open to hearing what they have to say.
This site revealed on 29 August that the Argentine was on the target list of the Midlands big hitters along with Graham Potter.
The Englishman has subsequently been appointed the new Chelsea manager while Pochettino remains a top target for Villa.
The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss is keen on the right project and is not interested only in joining a Champions League club.
Pochettino has reportedly already turned down an approach from French club OGC Nice.
It is believed that Villarreal manager Emery has also emerged at the top of the Villa wanted list.
The former Arsenal boss came close to landing the Newcastle United job last November but opted to remain at Villarreal and ended up steering them to last season's Champions League semi-finals.
The Spaniard has a contract with the La Liga club until next summer and the deal is understood to include a release clause.
The Premier League club lost three of their first four Premier League matches of the season and manager Steven Gerrard was booed by a section of supporters after their 1-0 defeat to West Ham last month.
They subsequently rallied with a 1-0 home win over Southampton (16 September) before the international break.