Three reasons Unai Emery is the man to take Arsenal forward
Published:
Former PSG boss picked as Wenger’s replacement
Arsenal fans have been waiting with bated breath for the announcement of Arsene Wenger’s successor – and it’s finally here. Unai Emery will be the next man in charge at the Emirates Stadium.
It’s an appointment which has come somewhat out of left-field. But the Coral News Team think there’s reason to believe the Spaniard can turn around the stagnant Gunners…
Trophy haul and a winning mentality
Despite a few Wembley triumphs, the last 13 seasons of the Wenger reign produced a grand total of three FA Cups. While top-four finishes were a given for much of that period, many Arsenal fans were deeply dissatisfied by the lack of silverware.
By contrast, Emery’s track record on that front is hard to argue with. Whilst he had a very generous budget to spend as Paris Saint-Germain boss, a haul of five trophies in two seasons – including a Ligue 1 title – can’t be sniffed at.
Meanwhile, as Sevilla boss, the 46-year-old recorded three successive Europa League triumphs, finishing up with 2016’s stunning defeat of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. That fact alone should fill fans of the North London club with hope.
He’s worked well with a Director of Football
At the Emirates, Emery will be working with a Director of Football – something he’s managed to do with real success in the past.
At Sevilla, he worked with Monchi to great effect, and helped progress a number of young talents arriving at the club, like Kevin Gameiro and Grzegorz Krychowiak.
Both of those two players arrived for under £10m, but developed and thrived under Emery and were sold on for far bigger money. That model was a hallmark of Wenger’s most successful period, and should encourage Arsenal fans ahead of the new era.
He’ll be working in a similar set-up at Arsenal, alongside Director of Football Raul Sanllehi and Head of Recruitment Sven Mislintat. Provided the right acquisitions are made in the transfer market, they’ve got the ideal man to bring those players on.
He’s revived fading forces
While his league-winning pedigree at PSG is impressive, perhaps more notable ahead of his move to Arsenal is the way Emery has revived clubs who’ve begun to slide.
At Valencia, he revived Los Che from a mid-table outfit to a side who recorded three successive third-placed finishers and reached the Champions League knockouts.
Meanwhile, in Seville, his first full season saw Los Rojiblancos recover from three trophyless campaigns to lift three successive Europa League crowns.
Not only that, they picked up back-to-back top-five finishes, and appeared in just their third Copa del Rey final since 1963.
The future looks bright for the Gunners under Emery’s stewardship. And the most optimistic fans can back Arsenal to Win the Premier League next season at 25/1.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
