Unai Emery has returned to the Premier League as the new manager of Aston Villa with the club paying £5.2m for the Spanish manager.
After deciding to fire Steven Gerrard last Thursday, Villa moved quickly to sign the Spaniard, paying Villarreal about £5.2 million to do so.
Aaron Danks will serve as interim manager for the trip to Newcastle on Saturday. After taking over as caretaker manager after Gerrard left, Danks led Villa to their third victory of the year, a 4-0 victory over Brentford, on Sunday.
When Will Emery Start Aston Villa’s Job?
Emery will take over on November 1 after the work permit formalities are finished. His debut for Villa will be against Manchester United on November 6th.
The 50-year-old will be managing in the Premier League for the second time after overseeing Arsenal for 18 months before being fired after a losing streak of seven games.
Unai Emery has been named as the club’s new head coach, and Aston Villa is excited to announce his appointment.
Upon completion of his work permit paperwork, Unai will start on November 1.
Unai Emery Achievements
In a statement, Villa said: “Aston Villa is delighted to announce the appointment of Unai Emery as the club’s new head coach.
“Unai joins from Villarreal, whom he led to Europa League success by beating Manchester United in the final in 2021, as well as the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.
“A highly-experienced top level coach who has managed over 900 games, Unai has also previously managed in the Premier League during a spell with Arsenal, leading the Gunners to a Europa League final.
His accomplishments at Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain are also noteworthy.
He won three consecutive Europa League championships in Seville between 2013 and 2016, and then he went on to win two Trophee des Champions, two French Cups, two French League Cups, and the Ligue 1 championship in France.
At Sevilla, the 50-year-old won the Europa League three times in a row.
When Villarreal defeated Manchester United in the 2021 competition final, he won it for a fourth time. The previous year, he also guided them to the Champions League semi-finals.
He also experienced Ligue Un success while managing Paris Saint-Germain from 2016 to 2018.
Who were the top contenders for the Aston Villa job
Since Mauricio Pochettino has been unemployed since being fired from Paris Saint-Germain, he has been mentioned as a potential target for Villa.
Thomas Frank of Brentford was also a candidate, but the Villa hierarchy chose Emery because of his distinguished European track record.
