Emery appointed manager at Villarreal

LaLiga side Villarreal have appointed former Arsenal manager Unai Emery as manager in a three-year deal, according to club.

Emery replaces Javi Calleja who led “the Yellow Submarine” to a fifth-placed finish in the recently concluded season and a place in the Europa League next season.

Villarreal issued a statement to this effect on the club’s website.

“Villarreal CF has reached an agreement with Unai Emery for the Basque manager to be Yellows’ head coach for the next three seasons.

“Unai Emery is a well-respected coach with vast experience in football around the world, and has managed top-level clubs such as Paris Saint-German and Arsenal FC. Furthermore, he also knows La Liga perfectly, after two successful spells at Sevilla FC and Valencia CF.”

“Emery started his sporting career at Lorca Deportiva, managing to get them promoted to Segunda Division. After his first managerial experience, he moved to UD Almeria, who he also got promoted. This time, it was to the top flight of Spanish football.”

“In the 2007-08 season, Emery arrived at Valencia CF, the club he managed for four seasons. On the bench at Mestalla, the Basque coach finished third in La Liga on a total of three occasions, each of which saw Los Che qualify for the UEFA  Champions League the following season.

“After a brief spell at Spartak Moscow, Emery returned to Spain in 2013 to take the reins at Sevilla. With the Andalusian club, he made history, winning three consecutive UEFA Europa.

“In recent seasons, the Basque manager has been in charge of two top-level projects on the European stage.”

Emery was sacked by Arsenal on November 19, 2019 and replaced by fellow Spaniard, Mikael Arteta.