Villarreal boss Unai Emery returns to Premier League, named Steven Gerrard's successor at Aston Villa

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Bengaluru, October 25: Unai Emery makes his return to Premier League with Aston Villa confirming the appointment of the Spaniard as the club's new head coach, following the sacking of Steven Gerrard.

It will be Emery's second spell in the Premier League, having coached Arsenal in 2018-19.

Emery's current contract at Villarreal was due to expire at the end of the season and as per a BBC report, Villa has paid a buyout fee of around $6 million for the 50-year-old.

The former Arsenal boss returns to the Premier League after rebuilding his reputation with success at Villarreal, clinching Europa League glory in 2021 and reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League last season.

Villa, who stopped the rot with a 4-0 thrashing of Brentford on Sunday under first team coach Aaron Danks, confirmed the Spaniard will take his position on November 1 (after his work permit formalities are completed) and will therefore not be in the dugout for Saturday's trip to face Newcastle United.

It means Emery's first task will be back-to-back tests against Manchester United, hosting Erik ten Hag's side in the Premier League on November 6 before travelling to Old Trafford four days later in the EFL Cup.

Emery will then lead Villa into a Premier League clash with Brighton and Hove Albion, the final game before the season pauses for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Villa's win against Brentford, their first in four Premier League matches, took the team to 15th in the table, three points above the relegation zone.

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Gerrard was sacked after just under a year in charge following the heart-breaking 0-3 Premier League loss to Fulham.

Long dominance

The former Liverpool midfielder arrived last November to succeed Dean Smith, having previously guided Rangers to Scottish Premiership success the season before.

Liverpool legend Gerrard won the Scottish title as Rangers boss in 2021, ending Celtic's long period of dominance. But he was unable to build on that impressive work since moving to Villa Park to replace the sacked Smith last November.

Home project

Under Gerrard, Villa had a dismal start to the 2022-23 campaign that saw them win just two top-flight wins in 11 games as he was shown the door.

It is worth remembering that Emery had turned down the opportunity to become Newcastle manager in October last year following the purchase of the club by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, saying Villarreal was his home and he wanted to continue being part of this project.

Europa specialist!

A year later, he has now decided to return to England, ending his two-and-a-half year stint at Villarreal during which he won the UEFA Europa League -- a title he also claimed three times at Sevilla.

He was also previously the coach of the Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain.

Interim charge

Emery will hold a farewell news conference at Villarreal's training ground on Tuesday (October 25), the La Liga club said in a statement.

Director of football Miguel Angel Tena will take charge of the La Liga outfit on an interim basis until a new coach is hired, a Villarreal statement added.

(With inputs from Agencies)