Unai Emery has been selected the next manager of Premier League team Aston Villa to replace Steven Gerrard, the club announced on Monday. This is the Spaniard’s second spell managing in the English top division.
Gerrard was fired by Villa last Thursday after the Midalnds team finished the season with only nine points from 11 games. In his debut game in charge, caretaker manager Aaron Danks led Villa to a 4-0 victory against Brentford over the weekend.
Unai Emery has been named the club’s new head coach, and Aston Villa is “delighted to announce this,” the club stated in a statement.
Following the completion of his work visa processes, Unai will take over on November 1st.
Emery, who took over as Arsenal’s manager in 2018, spent only 18 months at the North London club until he was fired for failing to stop the club’s financial downturn.
He made his way back to Spain and, after agreeing to a three-year contract, has been in charge of LaLiga team Villarreal since July 2020. According to Spanish media, Villa paid the release clause in order to get Emery’s signature.
Emery struggled in England, but the 50-year-old has a track record of guiding Spanish clubs to the Champions League, with Valencia placing third in LaLiga three times.
However, his ability to win Europa League championships is his claim to fame. He has done it with Sevilla three times and Villarreal once, setting a record for the most trophies won by a manager in that league.
Villarreal defeated Emery’s old team Arsenal in the Europa League semifinals last season before defeating Manchester United on penalties in the championship game.
With 12 points, Villa is in 14th position and will next visit Newcastle United, who are in fourth place, on Saturday.