Aston Villa have confirmed the appointment of Unai Emery as their new head coach.
The Villans had been looking to appoint Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim as Steven Gerrard’s successor, but learned on Monday that the Portuguese had no desire to take the reins at Villa Park despite initial talks being positive.
We confirm last week that former Arsenal head coach Emery was another name being considered by Villa’s hierarchy, and the Spaniard has opted to leave Villarreal in favour of a return to the Premier League – less than three years after losing his job at the Emirates Stadium.
Villa have not confirmed the length of Emery’s contract, but sources have indicated to 90min that around £6m was required to buy the 50-year-old out of his Villarreal deal. He will start his new job on November 1 after work permit formalities are completed.
Emery brings a wealth of experience to the Midlands and an impressive CV. He has tasted success in the Europa League a record breaking four times – three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal – and also lifted six trophies during a short stint as Paris Saint-Germain head coach.
He inherits a Villa side buoyed by their 4-0 demolition of Brentford on Sunday, though results prior to that had been disappointing. Indeed, former Rangers boss Gerrard was dismissed from his post after just 11 months in the job, following a terrible run of form that yielded just nine points from the club’s opening 11 Premier League games.
