EMERY APPOINTED ASTON VILLA HEAD COACH
Aston Villa have appointed Unai Emery as their new head coach. Former Arsenal boss Emery joins from Villarreal and replaces Steven Gerrard, who was sacked last week after a poor start to the season.
Emery has also managed Valencia, Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain. He is a four-time winner of the Europa League.
He will take over from November 1 after his work permit is finalised so will not be in charge for Villa’s trip to Newcastle on Saturday. His first match in charge will be at home to Manchester United on Sunday, November 6.
Emery joined Villarreal in 2020, having been dismissed by Arsenal in 2019 following an 18-month spell in charge.
He took the Gunners to the Europa League final, where they lost to Chelsea, and won the competition two years later with Villarreal. He also took the La Liga side to last year’s Champions League semi-finals.
Villarreal said in a statement: “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. “Villarreal CF would like to thank Unai Emery for the work he has done and wishes him the best of luck in his career.”
Emery was reportedly close to taking over at Newcastle last year following Steve Bruce’s sacking.
The BBC have reported that Villa have paid a £5.2m buyout fee to Villarreal for Emery.
Source: Eurosport.com
