Aston Villa have appointed Unai Emery as their new head coach after sacking Steven Gerrard last week.
- Emery replaces Gerrard at Aston Villa
- Won Villarreal’s first Europa League in 2021
- Returns to England for second stint after managing Arsenal
WHAT HAPPENED? Aston Villa have appointed Unai Emery as their new head coach after sacking Steven Gerrard last week. He will take over at Villa Park on November 1 after is work permit formalities are completed.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Emery leaves Villarreal after achieving unprecedented success with the Spanish side. He won the 2020/21 Europa League, before reaching the Champions league semi-finals last season where they ultimately lost to Liverpool.
AND WHAT’S MORE: This will be his second stint in England after an underwhelming spell at Arsenal where he was sacked after 18 months in the role. He did reach the Europa League final but the Gunners were hammered 4-1 by rivals Chelsea in Baku. He has also managed PSG, where he won Ligue 1 once.
WHAT THEY SAID: In a statement on Emery’s appointment, Aston Villa said: “Aston Villa is delighted to announce the appointment of Unai Emery as the club’s new Head Coach.”
Villarreal wished Emery well, highlighting his achievements while at the club. They said: “Emery has gone down in Villarreal CF history for becoming the first coach to win a title with the club, the UEFA Europa League, as well as the historic achievement of reaching the Champions League semi-finals last year and helping the team qualify team for European competitions for two consecutive seasons.”
WHAT NEXT FOR EMERY? As he is not taking over until November 1, Emery’s first game will be against Manchester United – the team he beat to win the Europa League with Villarreal.
Source: Goal
