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Aston Villa's poor start to the season could be about to go from bad to worse, with rumours that Unai Emery could be about to quit the club. Emery has been a revelation since arriving at Villa Park, taking the West Midlands outfit from a relegation scrap to the Champions League quarter-final last season.

However, after five games of the current season, life at Villa isn't as rosy for Emery, with the club set to lose president of football operations, Monchi. It comes after a difficult summer for Villa, who struggled to complete business until late in the transfer window.

That uncertainty has translated to their on-field performances, with Villa winless from their opening five games this term. But it's now claimed that Emery could be considering his options away from the one-time European champions.

A report from Gianluca Di Marzio suggests that Emery had been considering his future during the previous international break. It's suggested Emery and Monchi had suffered some disagreements, with the former considering walking away from the Premier League side.

The goalposts appear to have shifted somewhat following the departure of Monchi, with Real Sociedad's sporting director, Roberto Olabe, set to be ushered in instead. Olabe has a history with Emery, as the pair have worked together at La Liga outfit Sevilla.

It's claimed by BBC Sport that Emery was involved in the decision to hire Olabe as Mochi's replacement, with the 57-year-old having enjoyed an impressive stint with La Real. Alexander Isak, Martin Odegaard and Martin Zubimendi are among the transfer success stories that Olabe oversaw during his spell with the Spanish outfit.

However, there are suggestions that Villa's problems might stretch beyond the personnel in the hierarchy. Simon Jordan told talkSPORT: "I think a lot of these guys gain reputations that they don't earn, and then they get found out. The restrictions on Aston Villa, who are chasing the elite pack who are already there, are for all to see.

"They cannot go toe to toe with them economically because they do not have the bandwidth in the governance of the game. You can't suggest that the decline is directly relatable to Monchi. On the whole, Villa have done rather well in the last three years under Emery and post-Steven Gerrard.

"Emery brings his own man in, so the communication chain between him and the owners is through a director of football he relates to. Every club buys players who don't work out. He is clearly a decent director of football. It's overrated in some respects, this role. I think the most important relationship is the manager and the owner."