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Unai Emery: Former Arsenal manager appointed by Villarreal

Spaniard was sacked by Arsenal in November 2019

Tom Kershaw
Thursday 23 July 2020 12:25 BST
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Unai Emery sacked as Arsenal manager

Unai Emery has been appointed as Villarreal's new head coach.

The Spaniard, 48, returns to management for the first time since being sacked by Arsenal in November 2019.

Villarreal secured a fifth-place finish on the final day in La Liga, qualifying for next season's Europa League, but sacked manager Javier Calleja the following afternoon.

Emery spent four seasons at rivals Valencia between 2008 and 2012, taking the club to the Champions League on three occasions, before a brief spell at Spartak Moscow.

He returned to Spain to take charge of Sevilla in 2013, where he made history by winning the Europa League in three successive seasons.

Emery was then poached by Paris Saint-Germain, where he won Ligue 1, but saw his tenure undermined by a power struggle with Neymar.

His turbulent reign at Arsenal included a 22-match unbeaten streak before the club collapsed at the end of the Premier League season, missing out on the top four and suffering defeat by Chelsea in the final of the Europa League. He was sacked six months later after a disastrous start to the 2019-20 season.

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