Aston Villa have appointed Unai Emery as their new manager, bringing the former Arsenal boss in from Villarreal to replace Steven Gerrard.
Emery didn’t have the most convincing spell in his time in charge of the Gunners, but outside of the Premier League he’s generally done very well, particularly in his native Spain.
A Europa League winner with both Sevilla and Villarreal, it seems clear Emery has plenty of qualities as a manager, and it will be interesting to see how he can get on at Villa Park.
The 50-year-old takes over a struggling side who just couldn’t get going under Gerrard, but, writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, Fabrizio Romano is optimistic about what he can do with Villa.
Emery is being backed as an “excellent” appointment by Romano, who says he can thrive under different conditions than he found himself in when he took the job at Arsenal.
“It’s official – former Arsenal manager Unai Emery has left Villarreal to become the new manager of Aston Villa, replacing Steven Gerrard. Villa paid Emery’s €6m release clause and have agreed a salary of €7m a year,” Romano said.
“I think it’s an excellent move for Aston Villa. Emery is a great coach and appointing him in October was really difficult… long-term project and future investments convinced Unai.
“This is different kind of job compared to Arsenal and I’m sure he will have more time, less pressure and great support.
“Of course it wasn’t easy for him at Arsenal, but I’m intrigued to see him back in the Premier League again – he’s shown time and time again what he can achieve with the right club and the right project.”
Arsenal fans will no doubt keep an eye on Emery with interest, though there’ll surely be little in the way of regrets after seeing how well Mikel Arteta has done since he replaced his fellow Spaniard at the Emirates Stadium.