Villarreal boss Unai Emery was publicly courted by Newcastle United in October and early November and now the Basque manager has spoken about just how close he was to joining Newcastle United.
As it was, Emery decided to continue with Villarreal having guided them to their first major trophy the previous season. Villarreal defeated Manchester United on penalties in the Europa League final in May of 2021, with David de Gea missing the decisive penalty.
The Yellow Submarine will forever hold Emery in high esteem for that fact and that weighed into his decision to stay there this season. In an interview with The Athletic, Emery also spoke about the differences between Newcastle and former club Arsenal, with Villarreal USA carrying the quotes.
“The Newcastle project is an attractive project — something to build, different to Arsenal,” he said.
“With Arsenal, you first had to knock down the walls, which is hard work, then start to build again. Newcastle, no; it was just about building from the ground up. So it is different, and I liked the idea.”
“But I was also grateful to Villarreal for the opportunity they gave me, and we were in the Champions League.”
“The Premier League is an attractive league for all us coaches. So when Newcastle called me, I thought a lot about the opportunity to return to England, to a serious project.”
“For me, it was a source of pride, satisfaction — and I appreciated it. The opportunity of a club like Newcastle, what it could turn out to be, it is normal to listen to the offer, to consider it.”
Emery has struggled to meet Villarreal’s lofty expectations in La Liga this season, sitting in seventh place – but has long-since surpassed them in Europe, guiding Villarreal past Juventus in the Champions League.