Unai Emery has become the latest top coach to decide to stay ahead of the summer when three of world football's biggest jobs are on the line.
The Aston Villa manager on Tuesday extended his contract until 2027 to remain at Birmingham, with vacancies looming at Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
In recent weeks, candidates Xabi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann have taken themselves off the market, pinning their futures on Bayer Leverkusen and Germany respectively.
Emery has reportedly been on the radar from Bayern and Barcelona after spending the past two seasons at Villa and establishing himself as one of the sport's most astute managers.
In October 2022, he took charge of a team that was in danger of being relegated, leading Villa to fourth place in the Premier League and a place in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
Emery said on Tuesday: “We are enjoying this journey together with the Villa fans, club owners, management and a fantastic group of players of whom we are very proud.” “Ambition is already the motto of this project and must remain so.”
The pool of candidates for Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern is shrinking.
Alonso was a favorite for both Liverpool and Bayern, having played for both sides during his storied career. But last month he announced he would remain at Leverkusen, the team he led to Germany's first title at the expense of Bayern.
“This is the right place for me to grow as a coach,” Alonso said.
Nagelsmann, who was released by Bayern last season, was a candidate for a return to the German giants until last week when he extended his contract with the national team until the 2026 World Cup. He was also thought to be a possibility for Liverpool, who face the difficult task of replacing manager Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season.
Klopp announced in January that he would be stepping down after more than eight trophy-laden years on Merseyside.
Alonso seemed like a natural fit, as a former player who got his coaching career off to a great start at Leverkusen.
Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim has named him Liverpool's favorite to replace Alonso, while Roberto de Zerbi has impressed at Brighton.
Bayern are in need of a replacement for manager Thomas Tuchel, who will retire at the end of this season. Although his reputation has suffered after failing to win the title this year, he still has a chance of winning the Champions League after leading Bayern to the semi-finals of Europe's elite competition.
The Champions League trophy could see Tuchel named one of the two remaining top jobs available this summer.
Barcelona need a new manager after Xavi Hernández announced in January that this season would be his last.
Speculation has been mounting in recent days that Emery is attracting the attention of the Catalan club.
Emery's reputation has only grown since he took over from Steven Gerrard when Villa were above the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
Emery, who joined from Villarreal, led Villa to a seventh-place finish, helping the team qualify for Europe for the first time since 2010. Villa did not say how long his original contract would last when he takes over in 2022.
Emery, 52, has won four Europa League trophies, three with Sevilla, one with Villarreal and the French league title with Paris Saint-Germain.
He was the coach at Arsenal in England from 2018 to 2019.
“We are very excited and look forward to working with Unai as co-founders of the English Football League, with a view to returning Aston Villa to historic levels of greatness as they prepare to celebrate their 150th anniversary. “We are building a sports operation centered around this,” the club said. Chairman Nassef Sawiris said.
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