Former Arsenal former head coach Unai Emery has been appointed by Aston Villa as Steven Gerrard’s successor.
Gerrard was sacked last week following a woeful run of form which culminated in a 3-0 defeat to Fulham. It took just one match for Villa’s fortunes to change under caretaker Aaron Danks on Sunday as they recorded an emphatic 4-0 victory over Brentford.
But that did not stop the Villans hierarchy from turning their attention to Villarreal manager Emery with a move swiftly completed. Though the new head coach will not take over until after the weekend.
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An Aston Villa statement read: “A highly experienced top level coach who has managed over 900 games, Unai has also previously managed in the Premier League during a spell with Arsenal, leading the Gunners to a Europa League final.
“He has also enjoyed notable success at Sevilla and at Paris Saint Germain. In Seville, he won three successive Europa League titles between 2013 and 2016 before going on to lift a Ligue 1 championship in France as well as two French Cups, two French League Cups and two Trophée des Champions.
“Unai will take over from November 1st after his work permit formalities are completed.”
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Emery joined Villareal in 2020 after being sacked by Arsenal in late 2019. He lasted just 18 months at the Emirates as he had the near-impossible task of succeeding the legendary Arsene Wenger, as well as rebuilding a mish-mash squad of rogue signings.
He was able to take Arsenal to the Europa League final before succumbing to Chelsea in 2019, but made no mistake with Villarreal as he knocked out Manchester United to win the competition for a record fourth time.
Emery guided the club to the Champions League semi-finals last season while they currently sit seventh in the league.
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His return to the Premier League comes a year after he turned down the chance to become Newcastle United’s manager, following their big money Saudi-backed takeover.
Emery had been Newcastle’s number one target but felt uncertain about the club’s ‘structure and vision’ at the time, according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
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