Unai Emery joined Villarreal in 2020 and led the team to the Europa League title and the Champions League semi-finals. The Spaniard previously managed Arsenal and turned down Newcastle last year. Aston Villa fired Steven Gerrard last week.
Unai Emery insists the opportunity to become the new head coach of Aston Villa was too good to turn down.
The former Arsenal boss will officially start work at Villa Park on November 1, once he has finalised a work permit, after agreeing to leave Villarreal.
He had spent two years with the Yellow Submarine, winning the Europa League in 2021, but could not pass up the opportunity to succeed Steven Gerrard at Villa.
He stated at his final press conference in Spain, “Here I have felt something of the heart again, but the profession is within me.”
“I debated taking this one on as a sports challenge or as a separate project.
It’s a personal and professional decision. I left home at the age of 24 and immersed myself in the professional world of football, with all the implications.”
Emery joins Villa, who are currently 15th in the Premier League after sacking Gerrard last week.Eddie Howe muses on gaining the job as I’mNewcastle’s head coach, admitting he had resigned himself to not getting the position after hearing Unai Emery was considered.
Before joining the Premier League, Emery won a Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain, as well as two French Cups and two French League Cups. He also won three Europa Leagues with Sevilla and a fourth with Villarreal, making him the competition’s most successful manager.
