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Aston Villa confirm former Arsenal boss Unai Emery will succeed Steven Gerrard as Premier League club pay £5million Villarreal release clause
Unai Emery is back in the Premier League as the new manager of Aston Villa.
Villa moved swiftly for the Spaniard after deciding to sack Steven Gerrard last Thursday and have paid Villarreal around £5.2million to secure his services.
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Emery will take over from November 1 after work permit formalities are completed, with Aaron Danks taking interim charge for Saturday's trip to Newcastle.
Danks led Villa to a 4-0 win over Brentford on Sunday after being placed in caretaker charge following Gerrard's departure - only their third victory of the season.
Emery's first Villa game will be the visit of Manchester United on Sunday, November 6.
It will be the 50-year-old's second Premier League stint after managing Arsenal for 18 months before he was dismissed following a seven-match losing run.
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.
"He has also enjoyed notable success at Sevilla and at Paris Saint Germain.
"In Seville, he won three successive Europa League titles between 2013 and 2016 before going on to lift a Ligue 1 championship in France as well as two French Cups, two French League Cups and two Trophee des Champions.
"Unai will take over from November 1 after his work permit formalities are completed."
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Mauricio Pochettino was mooted as a possible target for Villa, with the former Southampton and Tottenham boss out of work since his sacking from Paris Saint-German.
Brentford's Thomas Frank was also under consideration, but the Villa hierarchy ultimately landed on Emery, who has an impressive record across Europe.
The 50-year-old won the Europa League three seasons in succession at Sevilla.
He then won the competition for a fourth time in 2021 with Villarreal beating Manchester United in the final, and also led them to the Champions League semi-finals last season.
He has also tasted Ligue Un success with Paris Saint-Germain, who he managed between 2016-2018.
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Emery will now be hungry to prove himself in the Premier League.
While his 18-month spell at Arsenal ended in disappointment, they finished fifth in the Premier League in his only full season in charge and reached the final of the Europa League.
Emery had the chance to return to the Premier League last year, with Newcastle making an approach following their takeover.
However, he turned down the chance and opted to stay in Spain.
He told The Athletic: “The Premier League is an attractive league for all us coaches. So when Newcastle called me, I thought a lot about the opportunity to return to England, to a serious project. For me, it was a source of pride, satisfaction and I appreciated it.
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“The opportunity of a club like Newcastle, what it could turn out to be, it is normal for me to listen to the offer, to consider it.
“I thought about the offer and I spoke with (Villarreal president) Fernando Roig but I also had to take into account that we were in the Champions League with Villarreal, mid-season. In the end, with a lot of respect for Villarreal, and a lot of respect for Newcastle, I decided to stay here. I am happy here and we are doing an important job.”
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