After firing Steven Gerrard, Aston Villa has replaced him with Unai Emery as manager.
Emery, formerly of Arsenal, will take over at Villa on November 1. He most recently managed the Spanish team Villarreal. For this 50-year-old player, Villa paid Villarreal £5.2 million.
Last week, after a 3-0 loss to Fulham in the Premier League, Newcastle fired Gerrard and replaced him with caretaker Aaron Danks.
Villarreal said that Emery would resume work next week “once his work permit requirements are completed.” Emery’s contract with Villarreal was set to expire in the summer of 2018.
After joining Villarreal in 2020, Emery guided them to a Europa League title in 2020-21, which they won by defeating Manchester United in the final.
Under Emery, the Spanish team also advanced to the semifinals of the Champions League last year, when they were ultimately eliminated by Liverpool (5-2 on aggregate).
Following 18 months in charge at Arsenal, Emery was fired in November 2019 after a winless run of seven games (the Gunners’ worst since February 1992), prompting his hiring as manager of Spanish club Villarreal.
In 2019, he led Arsenal to the Europa League final, where they lost to Chelsea.
On Sunday, Villa, with caretaker manager Danks at the helm, defeated Brentford by a score of 4-0 to move up to 14th place in the Premier League, three points clear of the relegation zone.
The team has also spoken with Ruben Amorin, the coach of Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon.