Spanish coach Unai Emery belongs at the top of the sport, according to countryman Guillem Balague.

Emery is enjoying an outstanding stint with Aston Villa in the Premier League at present.

Since taking over less than a year ago, when Villa were near the relegation zone, Emery has the team close to a top four spot.

"If you see what happened to PSG since he left, it's not easy at all that club," Balague told BBC Radio 5 Live about Emery's Villa success and previous Arsenal failure.

"He put together a competitive side that did well and won domestically. You have to win in Ligue 1, if you don't, basically that is bad news. But then you have to do well in Europe.

"You can't ask anyone, not even Pep Guardiola, no one to win the Champions League to prove that you're a good manager. I do think that he had difficulties and of course, the difficulties at Arsenal.

"The ones you know, and the ones you don't know, just check the squad, what it is now, compared to what he had. And why some of the players that were there were important and then a lot of them had to leave.

"There are always explanations but I do think he belongs to the top."