Unai Emery Returns To Premier League As New Aston Villa Manager In €6m Deal

Ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery has been hired as Aston Villa's new manager four days after Steven Gerrard was fired. Villa will pay Villarreal €6m in compensation.

Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery has been announced as Aston Villa's new manager four days after Steven Gerrard was fired.

Emery had been in charge of Villarreal since July 2020 and, according to BBC Sport, Villa needed to pay €6 million to buy him out of his contract with the Spanish club.

Villa's next game is away to Newcastle United on Saturday but Emery is not set to start work at Villa Park until November 1, so Aaron Danks will be in the dugout at St James' Park.

Aston Villa is delighted to announce the appointment of Unai Emery as the club's new Head Coach. 🟣

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 24, 2022

Emery's first game in his new job will be at home against Manchester United on Sunday, November 6.

Villa play United again four days later in the EFL Cup at Old Trafford. They then visit Brighton in their final game before the club season pauses for the Qatar World Cup.

Emery is returning to England for his second spell in the Premier League.

He took charge of 51 EPL matches as Arsenal boss between August 2018 and November 2019.

Unai Emery pictured in November 2019 during his final game as Arsenal manager :: IMAGO/Sportimage/David Klein

Prior to his spell at Arsenal, Emery managed Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla, Spartak Moscow, Valencia, Almeria and Lorca Deportiva.

He won seven trophies with PSG, including the Ligue 1 title in the 2017/2018 season.

But Emery's most significant successes to date have come in the UEFA Europa League.

He has won the Europa League four times - once with Villarreal and on three occasions with Sevilla.