Unai Emery Wants to Turn Arsenal Into 'the Best Club in the World' But Asks Fans for Patience
Unai Emery has called for Arsenal fans to be patient as he looks to turn the Gunners into one of the best clubs in the world, admitting it is a long-term project and won't happen quickly.
A quick glance at the Premier League table highlights how much work Emery has on his hands, with Arsenal locked in a four-way battle for the final two Champions League qualification spots.
However, despite some questionable results in his opening season season at the Emirates, especially away from home, Emery has turned Arsenal into top four contenders following a drop off under Arsene Wenger and wants fans to remain patient and trust the process.
As quoted by the Independent, the Spaniard said: "We want to get with this club to point where we the best club in England and the world. But it is a long process. Sometimes, like today, we need to talk about patience.
“We want to play in the Champions League but also we know our process needs to be with patience because there are another five very strong teams with very good players and very big performances.
“The Premier League is the most difficult championship in all the world. There is not another country with this difficulty to take the top four places and play in the Champions League.
"Maybe now in Spain, they have something similar – Valencia are struggling for the top four also. But here the biggest teams in the world play in one championship.”
Arsenal have been exposed defensively on a number of occasions throughout the season, not least in their last two league games where both Crystal Palace and Wolves scored three against the Gunners and came away with the spoils, just to compound the misery.
Arsenal are competing with Chelsea for the Europa League crown, but Emery will hope his experience in the competition, having won it in three consecutive seasons with Sevilla, will give him the edge.
Emery will need the lure of Champions League football to attract the best players, but there is no easy route into the competition. Arsenal face a tough semi final against Valencia in the Europa League and play Leicester, Brighton and Burnley in the Premier League as they fight for a qualification spot.