Emery poised to succeed Wenger at Arsenal helm
LONDON — Former Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery looks set to become Arsene Wenger’s successor after 22 years as Arsenal manager, the BBC reported on Monday.
Emery, 46, won Ligue 1 and four domestic cups in two seasons in the French capital before departing earlier this month.
However, the Spaniard paid for his failure to get PSG beyond the last 16 of the Champions League in his two seasons at Parc des Princes.
“Emery emerged as the unanimous choice following a recruitment process in which all candidates were spoken to,” the BBC reported on Monday.
PSG reached four consecutive Champions League quarterfinals following the Qatari takeover of the club in 2011, but Emery oversaw a humiliating defeat to Barcelona in the last 16 a year ago, losing 6-1 at Camp Nou after a 4-0 win in the first leg.
The club then committed to spending $483 million on forwards Neymar and Kylian Mbappe — the two most expensive transfer deals in history — last year, but Paris was eliminated in the last 16 again this term, going out to Real Madrid.
“We lost against Real but they are showing that they are maybe still the strongest team in Europe,” Emery said when announcing his departure.
Emery previously enjoyed great success on the European stage at Sevilla, where he won three Europa League titles with victories over Benfica, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk of Ukraine and, most notably, Liverpool in each final.
Arsenal has been looking for a new boss for the first time in over two decades since Wenger announced last month he was stepping down at the end of the season.
A sixth-place finish in the Premier League, the Frenchman’s worst-ever result, means the Gunners have fail- ed to qualify for the Champions League for a second straight season.
Former Arsenal and Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta, who has formed part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Premier League champion Manchester City for the past two seasons, appeared to be the frontrunner last week.
Spaniard Arteta, who played 150 games for Arsenal between 2011 and 2016, even had Wenger’s blessing.
“He was a leader, has good passion for the game, knows the club and knows what is important at the club,” Wenger told BeIn Sports.
However, Arteta’s lack of managerial experience appears to have seen him lose out to his compatriot.
It has also been reported that 36-year-old Arteta was demanding full control over player transfers, which might have worked against him.
Emery’s own playing career was a modest one, largely in Spain’s lower divisions after failing to make the grade at Real Sociedad.
However, he established a reputation as a bright young coach at Lorca and Almeria before being handed his first big job at Valencia in 2008.
Despite severe financial problems as players like David Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata were sold, Emery led Valencia to third place behind Barcelona and Real Madrid for three consecutive seasons.
A short, ill-fated spell at Spartak Moscow followed before he returned to his homeland at Sevilla in 2013.