Friday 19 / April / 2024
London: Arsenal named Spaniard Unai emery as their first new manager for 22 years on Wednesday following Arsene Wenger's departure at the end of the last campaign.
The Premier League club's website said the 46-year-old would join as head coach, having spent the last two years at Paris St Germain, with whom he recently claimed a domestic treble.
Announcing the appointment, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: "Unai has an outstanding track record of success throughout his career, has developed some of the best young talent in Europe and plays an exciting, progressive style of football that fits Arsenal perfectly.
"His hard-working and passionate approach and his sense of values on and off the pitch make him the ideal person to take us forward."
Frenchman Wenger's final season in charge, having taken over in 1996, ended in disappointment with Arsenal finishing sixth in the Premier League -- missing out on Champions League qualification for the second season in a row.
emery said he was "excited" about following in Wenger's footsteps and beginning a "new chapter" for the club.
"I am thrilled to be joining one of the great clubs in the game. Arsenal is known and loved throughout the world for its style of play, its commitment to young players, the fantastic stadium, the way the club is run," he said.
"I'm very excited to be given the responsibility to start this important new chapter in Arsenal's history."
Before his spell at PSG, emery spent three seasons at Sevilla, taking the Spanish club to three consecutive Europa League titles.
Here are some key facts about Emery:
Early life
* Born Nov. 3, 1971 in Hondarribia, Spain.
* Began his playing career in 1990 as a midfielder with Real Sociedad B in the second-tier of Spanish football.
* Made five appearances for the Real Sociedad first team in La Liga before representing Spanish sides Toledo, Racing Ferrol, Leganes and Lorca Deportivo.
Managerial career
* After his playing career ended in the 2004-05 season due to a knee injury, Emery took charge at Lorca Deportivo.
* Had further stints at Almeria, Valencia and Spartak Moscow before he moved to Sevilla in 2013, where he led the team to three consecutive Europa League titles from 2014.
* Joined PSG in June 2016 and won both French cups in his first season before leading them to a domestic treble the following campaign.
List of managerial honours
Sevilla (Spain)
UEFA Europa League: 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16.
PSG (France)
Ligue 1: 2017-18.
Coupe de France: 2016-17, 2017-18.
Coupe de la Ligue: 2016-17, 2017-18.
Major individual honours
European Coach of the Season: 2013-14.
UNFP Manager of the Year: 2017-18.
