Unai Emery has pledged to give Arsenal “some special moments and memories” after his appointment as the new head coach was confirmed on Wednesday morning. The 46-year-old Spaniard bolted from the status of outsider to sudden favourite on Monday and he has succeeded Arsène Wenger, who departed after 22 years in the job at the end of this past season.
It seems significant that Emery’s title is that of head coach rather than manager and he has been asked to concentrate his efforts on coaching and man-managing the first-team. Ivan Gazidis, the chief executive, has overhauled the club, with Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat having been given overall responsibility for transfers. Emery has agreed to work within the new structure and he knows that the club will operate on a £50m transfer budget this season.
Gazidis oversaw a thorough recruitment process and a clutch of candidates were considered and interviewed – chief among them Mikel Arteta, Max Allegri and Patrick Vieira. Arteta was the favourite last week and he expected to be given the opportunity, despite his lack of managerial experience. In the end, though, Emery came to seem like a safer pair of hands given his pedigree at a string of clubs since the 2004-05 season, most recently Paris St-Germain and Sevilla.
“I am thrilled to be joining one of the great clubs in the game,” Emery said. “Arsenal is known and loved throughout the world for its style of play, its commitment to young players, the fantastic stadium, the way the club is run. I’m very excited to be given the responsibility to start this important new chapter in Arsenal’s history.
“I have met Stan and Josh Kroenke and it’s clear they have great ambitions for the club and are committed to bringing future success. I’m excited about what we can do together and I look forward to giving everyone who loves Arsenal some special moments and memories.”
Stan Kroenke, the club’s majority shareholder, described Emery as a “proven winner”. Emery won five domestic honours in his two seasons at PSG – including the Ligue 1 title last season – although his lack of success in the Champions League cost him his job. He also struggled to impose his will on a dressing room packed with egos.
Before that, Emery impressed greatly at Sevilla, despite having to sell the club’s best players on a regular basis. Most eye-catchingly, he won the Europa League for three seasons in a row.
“We’re delighted to welcome Unai to Arsenal,” Kroenke said. “He’s a proven winner. We’re confident that he is the right person for the job and that he will work to deliver the triumphs our fans, staff and everyone who cares about Arsenal want.
“Several things stood out during his interview and the entire process; his football knowledge, energy, determination and love of the game. His familiarity with our club and our players, the Premier League, and the game in Europe were all very impressive. He shares our vision to move forward, to build on the platform created by Arsène Wenger and help this club enjoy greater success.”
Gazidis said: “Unai has an outstanding track record of success throughout his career, has developed some of the best young talent in Europe and plays an exciting, progressive style of football that fits Arsenal perfectly. His hard-working and passionate approach and his sense of values on and off the pitch make him the ideal person to take us forward.
“We conducted a confidential, wide-ranging and rigorous search involving extensive background references, data and video analysis, and personal meetings with all the candidates we shortlisted. All were interested in the position and we were unanimous in our choice of Unai to drive the next chapter of our history.”