Villa confirm capture of ex-Gunners boss Emery

Aston Villa have announced the appointment of Villarreal manager Unai Emery as their new head coach.

The Spaniard will take over the West Midlands outfit on November 1 once his work permit formalities are completed, arriving as a replacement for the sacked Steven Gerrard.

This means that his first match in charge will see Manchester United head to Villa Park in the Premier League on November 6.

Emery, 50, is no stranger to the English top flight having managed Arsenal between 2018 and 2019.

During his tenure in North London, he finished fifth in the league and led the Gunners to the Europa League final, where they lost to Chelsea.

After his dismissal from the Emirates, Emery joined Villarreal in 2020 and enjoyed a successful first season in charge, leading the side to Europa League glory.

He then built on that triumph by reaching the Champions League semi-final in the following campaign.

Announcing their head coach's departure, Villarreal issued a statement saying: "Villarreal CF would like to thank Unai Emery for the work he has done and wishes him the best of luck in his career."

Prior to his time in England, Emery made his name with Sevilla in his homeland, winning the Europa League a remarkable three times.

He then left the Spanish outfit to take over at Paris Saint-Germain and helped guide the Parisians to a Ligue 1 title in 2017-18, before joining Arsenal that summer.

He inherits a Villa side that currently sit 15th in the table, now three points above the relegation zone after beating Brentford 4-0 on Sunday.