Unai Emery named Aston Villa head coach

Aston Villa have appointed Unai Emery as their next head coach after holding decisive talks today.

Villa met with Emery on Monday and have paid the £5.25million release clause to prise the 50-year-old coach from La Liga side Villarreal.

The Athletic reported earlier on Monday that Villa were expected to appoint Emery.Emery will take charge of his new side from November 1, meaning he will not be in charge for the trip to Newcastle United on Saturday. His first Villa match will be the visit of Manchester United on November 6.

Villa sacked Steven Gerrard last week and had five candidates on their list to replace him. Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel and Ruben Amorim were among those, alongside Emery.

Emery has previous experience in the Premier League, having coached Arsenal between the summer of 2018 and November 2019. He guided them to a fifth-placed finish in 2018-19 before being dismissed.

The Spaniard then took charge at Villarreal in July 2020. During the 2020-21 season, Emery’s side beat Arsenal and Manchester United on their way to winning the Europa League.

Emery also had the chance to take over at Newcastle United in November 2021 when they sacked Steve Bruce, but turned down their approach.

Emery previously managed Sevilla between 2013 and 2016, winning the Europa League three times in three seasons.

He left the Spanish side to take over at Paris Saint-Germain, where he won Ligue 1 in 2017-18 but left that summer with a year remaining on his contract.

Villa are 14th in the Premier League, having won 4-0 against Brentford on Sunday in their first game without Gerrard this season. Their aim this season is to finish in the top half of the division.