‘Don’t talk nonsense’ - Pundits differ over new Aston Villa boss Unai Emery

Aston Villa announced the appointment of Unai Emery as their new manager on Monday, October 24. Since then, many have been reacting to the news, including an array of pundits who have argued very different points about the new man in the dugout.

Chosen as the man to replace Steven Gerrard, Villa fans will be looking to Emery for a resurgence in form given their poor start to the season. Interim manager Aaron Danks was able to pick up an impressive 4-0 victory over Brentford last weekend, but even then the Villans are struggling down in 15th.

Former Villa striker Darren Bent, speaking on talkSPORT, shared his optimism about the situation. He said: “It didn’t end well for him at Arsenal but I still don’t think you can poke holes in his pedigree. You’re talking about a guy who’s won the Europa League four times. I think he’s a really, really good coach.

“He had the whole Ozil situation to deal with as well which went against him. I don’t think you win the trophies that he’s won if you’re not a good coach. You can say what you want about his time at Arsenal, but it was always going to be hard coming in after Arsene Wenger. I think it’s the right appointment. I’d say I’m excited about it.”

Former Liverpool defender turned-pundit Jamie Carragher also believes Emery will be a success at Villa, even if he is filling the boots of a good friend of his in Gerrard. “If you look at his career, he’s had a lot of success with teams just below the elite, those teams almost fighting with the bigger clubs,” Carragher told Sky Sports.

“It didn’t go well for him at Arsenal but you look at what he did at Villarreal – Europa League winners and pushed Liverpool in the Champions League as well. He’s not the type of manager for Barcelona or Real Madrid, but he can compete against teams with more money. He gets his teams really organised and is a super coach.”

In his most recent role, Emery led Villarreal to their first Champions League semi final since 2006, helped the Yellow Submarine to two successive 7th-place finishes in La Liga and even took home a Europa League trophy. He was highly thought of in Spain and will likely be a welcome addition back to the Premier League.

Former Scottish international footballer and now commentator Ally McCoist recognises Emery is an ‘excellent coach’ but feels a bigger question needs to be asked around a club the 50-year-old snubbed last year. “It’s an interesting one - why would he not back Newcastle and go to Villa,” McCoist told talkSPORT.

“That’s something that kind of resonates with me as a strange one because from where I’m sitting you would think the project at Newcastle would be more attractive. Now, Villa fans might be saying straight away, ‘don’t talk nonsense’, but the fact he’d been guaranteed finances at Newcastle, I just felt might have been more attractive.

“I’m aware of the fact that Villa are a massive club and a good club, and there’s the ability to go up the league, but it’s an interesting one. What’s made Villa more attractive than Newcastle? That would be my first question,” McCoist argued.

The Villans take on Newcastle this weekend as Emery gets the chance to weigh up both sides. He will likely watch on from the stands as Aaron Danks takes charge of the Lions until November 1.