David Ornstein of the BBC reports that Arsenal are set to appoint Spainaird Unai Emery as manager, replacing the outgoing Arsene Wenger. Emery left French giants Paris Saint-Germain following the conclusion of the 2017-18 season. The 46-year-old Emery has an impressive C.V. to date. He has won 10 trophies as a manager. This has been over spells at Seville and PSG which included three Europa League titles in a row.
BREAKING: Arsenal to appoint Unai Emery as new manager. Thorough process produced 46yo Spaniard as unanimous choice. Available after leaving #PSG (1 Lg1 title, 4 cups), previously Sevilla (3 EL wins), not fluent English. Announcement + press conference likely later this week #AFC
— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) May 21, 2018
Unai Emert Has Big Boots To Fill
Unai Emery will have a tough task in replacing outgoing manager Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman was in charge for 17 years. He won a total of 17 trophies with the Gunners. This included an unprecedented “invincible” Premier League season. A large section of Arsenal fans have been calling for a change of management for a while now. Only time will tell if it will pay off.
Big fish, little pond
The club Unai Emery has experienced the most success with has been PSG. The French League is not very competitive and PSG dominated before the Spainaird took charge. The French side have won five of the past six Ligue 1 championships. Despite winning seven honours in Paris, Emery never took the side beyond the last 16 of the Champions League. At Seville, he won three Europa League titles but never finished in the top four of La Liga or won a domestic trophy.
Unai Emery has a habit of meeting the bare minimum in terms of expectations but struggles to bring any of the top clubs that he has managed to a higher level than when he found them. His Seville squad was one of the top teams in club football’s secondary European competition. However, like with PSG in the Champions League, as soon as he’s faced with clubs at or above his side’s level, he struggles.
Can Unai Emery rebuild Arsenal
Arsenal finished the Premier League season in the sixth position on the table. The club has been regressing for a number of years. Unai Emery is inheriting a side in desperate need of a rebuild. The task will not be an easy one as the North London side currently have the weakest of the top-six squads. On top of these obstacles, Emery will have a fanbase desperate for success. The impatience and anger towards Wenger were tempered by the Frenchman’s past success at the club. Emery does not have this shield to protect himself with. The fans will expect an instant improvement and given his record of progressing teams, it will have to be seen if the Spainaird will be a success at the Emirates.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
