Spaniard promises thrilling football as he replaces Wenger

want people here who are demanding also. My idea is to be protagonists.

“We play against all the teams with this personality. The history here is a team that love playing with possession of the ball. I like that personality.

“When you don’t have possession, I want a squad that are very, very intensive with the pressing. The two things are important for me: possession of the ball and pressing when you don’t have the ball.”

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis explained the Spaniard was the stand-out candidate on an eight-man shortlist.

He said: “We had some clear criteria we were looking for.

“We wanted progressive, entertaining football, a personality to fit Arsenal values and a reputation for developing players and demanding more from them.

“His teams improve over time. We also felt for some time that he is a superb fit with the criteria I laid out.”

When asked how big a rebuilding job it is for Emery, chief executive Gazidis said: “There’s not a position in world football that is more attractive than Arsenal.

“Our players will respond to the new energy that Unai brings. They’ll have somebody under whom they can improve.”

The club are yet to confirm if Emery will bring in any of his own backroom staff, although Juan Carlos Carcedo, Pablo Villanueva, Julen Masach and Victor Manas have all reportedly been lined up for roles.