Manager

Aston Villa appointed Unai Emery as the latest manager of the Birmingham outfit in October 2022 to replace Steven Gerrard. He arrived at Villa Park with an initial contract to June 2027.

Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, Aston Villa’s owners, took Emery back to the Premier League with the club struggling heavily. The billionaire pair sacked Gerrard after 11 months in charge just 90 minutes after losing 3-0 at Fulham. It left the Villans 17th in the table after 11 games.

Yet Emery would not only take Aston Villa away from a possible relegation fight but back into Europe. The Spaniard ended his debut season in charge of the Birmingham club by securing their spot in the Europa Conference League. Aston Villa had not played in Europe since 2010.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery’s past coaching career

Aston Villa completed a coup when Sawiris and Edens tempted Emery to become the club’s latest manager. The coach took charge of the Villa Park outfit as a four-time Europa League winner. His trophy cabinet also features a Ligue 1 title and several domestic French trophies.

Emery won his fourth Europa League title with Villarreal, who he would leave to take charge of Aston Villa. The Spaniard guided El Submarino Amarillo to win UEFA’s secondary club title in 2020/21. His Estadio de la Ceramica side beat Manchester United on penalties in the final.

The trophy marked Emery’s return to European glory having won three Europa League titles in a row with Sevilla previously. He took the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan team to the top in 2013/14, 14/15 and 15/16. No other manager has lifted the trophy more than three times.

A trophy-laden tenure at Paris Saint-Germain and a stint in the Premier League with Arsenal split Emery’s glory days in the Europa League. He left Sevilla for PSG in 2016 and would take Les Parisiens to the 2017/18 Ligue 1 title. Yet the coach left the position after lifting the title.

Emery had also won two Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue titles while at Paris Saint-Germain. His departure from the Parc des Princes saw Arsenal move to secure his services to replace Arsene Wenger. But his time in north London would ultimately last just 18 months.

Emery achieved a lot with a little when he started in Spain

Arsenal sacked Emery in November 2019 and stated that results and performances were not ‘at the level required’. He would remain out of work before returning to Spain with Villarreal. The position was his fifth in Spain after spells with Lorca Deportiva, UD Almeria and Valencia.

Lorca Deportiva gave Emery his chance as a manager in 2004 when his playing career came to an abrupt end. The club’s president offered Emery their vacant head coach position after he suffered a serious knee injury. They would secure promotion in his first season in charge.

Emery led Lorca Deportiva into the Segunda Division for the first time in the team’s history. They would even finish their first campaign in the second-tier in fifth-place, missing out on promotion by five points. Almeria then moved for Emery and Lorca would suffer relegation.

Lorca’s loss was very much Almeria’s gain, though, as Emery led the Rojiblancos into La Liga for the first time. The Andalusian outfit even finished eighth in the 2007/08 to see Valencia target Emery as Ronald Koeman’s successor. He would enjoy a steady tenure with Los Che.

Valencia were regular contenders for the Champions League and Europa League positions in La Liga with Emery. He even kept the club in a competitive position despite losing David Villa and David Silva. While 2012 would see Emery take over Spartak Moscow but for six months.

Unai Emery’s coaching career

Aston Villa (October 2022 – June 2027 expected)

Villarreal (July 2020 – October 2022)

Arsenal (July 2018 – November 2019)

Paris Saint-Germain (July 2016 – June 2018)

Sevilla (January 2013 – June 2016)

Spartak Moscow (July 2012 – November 2012)

Valencia (July 2008 – June 2012)

UD Almeria (July 2006 – June 2008)

Lorca Deportiva (December 2004 – June 2006)

Unai Emery’s playing career

Real Sociedad marked the start of one-day Aston Villa manager Emery’s playing career. The left midfielder joined the San Sebastian side’s youth set-up in 1986 and enjoyed 10 years at the club. But he never truly broke through to make a name in the Txuri-Urdinak’s first-team.

CD Toledo would break Emery’s bond with Real Sociedad in 1996. The deal also marked the beginning for the best days of his playing career. Emery established himself as a star in the Segunda Division and struck spells at Racing Ferrol and CD Leganes before Lorca Deportivo.

Unai Emery at Aston Villa

Emery officially took over from Gerrard as the latest manager of Aston Villa on November 1, 2022. Work permit formalities ensured he could not take up the Villa Park helm immediately after signing his contract. Aaron Danks stood in as the club’s caretaker coach for the interim.

Edens and Sawiris also handed Emery the longest managerial contract of their tenure as the owners of Aston Villa. His initial contract, worth £25m net, tied the Spaniard down until June 2027. Aston Villa also paid Villarreal £5.25m to trigger the release clause in Emery’s contract.

Aston Villa sat 16th in the Premier League table with 12 points from 13 fixtures when Emery ultimately took over. Yet his first game at their helm saw the Villans beat Manchester United 3-1 at Villa Park. They would also claim a 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day.

Another trip to London in April 2023 saw Aston Villa win 2-0 over Chelsea. While Aston Villa beat Tottenham again come May as Emery dealt Spurs a 2-1 defeat in Birmingham. A 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on the final day would then book Aston Villa’s return to Europe.