Aston Villa have confirmed the appointment of Unai Emery following the sacking of Steven Gerrard last week.
Emery has signed a deal worth a reported €7m-a-year, with a release clause in a similar region to be paid to Villarreal.
The club sacked Gerrard within two hours of their 3-0 defeat to Fulham on 20 October, with the former England midfielder forced to face the ignominy of travelling back on the team bus just moments after being informed he had lost his job. Captain John McGinn described the Fulham result as “embarrassing to be part of”, with fans jeering Gerrard and singing “get out of our club”.
He is now succeeded by a manager who has won four Europa League titles – three with Sevilla and one with Villarreal, beating Manchester United with the latter in 2021 – as well as seven honours with Paris Saint-Germain.
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The Spaniard’s only previous spell in English football came with Arsenal, where he struggled to succeed Arsene Wenger as he became the north London side’s first new head coach in 22 years. Though he led them to a Europa League final, which they lost to Chelsea in Baku, he was axed just 18 months into the job with the Gunners winless in seven and on their worst run of form since 1992 under George Graham.
Yet he has revived his reputation back in La Liga and was the subject of interest from Newcastle United prior to Eddie Howe’s appointment. Emery turned down that approach and opted to stay with Villarreal, but less than a year later he will return to the Premier League.
In a statement, Villa said the 50-year-old would take over from 1 November once his work permit had been approved, which they described as a “formality” – adding that he was a “highly experienced top-level coach who has managed over 900 games”.
He takes charge with Villa 15th in the Premier League, just three points above the relegation zone. Gerrard oversaw just two league wins this season and in his 11-month stint, his side won just 13 of 40 games. Upon his departure, chief executive Christian Purslow said their hopes of “continuous improvement had not been achieved”.
Emery’s arrival ends speculation that caretaker boss Aaron Danks could be rewarded for his impressive start with a shot at the role on a permanent basis, having led Villa to a 4-0 win over Brentford just days after taking charge. Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino and recently sacked ex-Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel had also been linked with the vacancy at Villa Park.
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