How much Manchester United would have to pay to hire Unai Emery

A new manager is expected at Manchester United with Michael Carrick teetering on the brink.

Last week we ran through a list of the most likely replacements for Michael Carrick at Manchester United.

Unai Emery was not on the list, even though the Aston Villa manager stands out as the best qualified man for the job.

Emery ticks key boxes. He has considerable Premier League experience, he is a master tactician, and he has proven an ability to work on a budget and rebuild teams. He has an impressive collection of trophies too, beating Manchester United to the Europa League in 2021.

The problem is Emery is under contract to Aston Villa.

According to The Guardian, Villa would demand £20 million to release Emery from his contract.

This could be a fee worth paying to get the best possible manager for the job.

Hiring an alternative candidate simply because they are available and cheap could be far more expensive in the long run.

‘Transfer fees’ for managers

There are two high profile instances of clubs paying a compensation fee in the £20 million range for a manager.

One of these was Chelsea paying compensation to Brighton to bring in Graham Potter in 2022. This did not work out well for the Blues at all. He was fired after less than seven months in charge.

In 2021, Bayern Munich paid around £20 million to RB Leipzig to bring in Julian Nagelsmann. He lasted 21 months in charge.

Manchester United paid around £9 million to hire Ruben Amorim and his staff from Sporting in November 2024. This was another investment that simply was not worth the money, with Amorim sacked in January 2026.

Would a move for Emery be more successful? This is the £20 million question Ineos must consider whether to explore…