Factors behind Unai Emery’s Arsenal exit, £72m Arsenal player among key issue

While Unai Emery is now enjoying great success with Aston Villa, four years ago he was on the brink of being fired by Arsenal after overseeing a difficult period filled with numerous issues.

Chirag

November 18, 2023

Unai Emery Had To Struggle At Arsenal Due To One Player — Image via Getty Images

Unai Emery’s stint at Arsenal seems like a distant memory, especially with his current success at Aston Villa. He was let go in November 2019 due to poor results after a dismal seven-game winless streak, marking a stark contrast from his promising start as Arsenal’s chosen successor to Arsene Wenger.

His talk of an exciting, proactive style didn’t materialize, leading to a confused approach on the field and disruptions within the team. Fast forward to now, where Villa thrives under Emery’s guidance, highlighting how much he’s evolved since his Arsenal departure.

During his Arsenal tenure, Emery won 43 out of 78 games, a success rate similar to his current record at Aston Villa. However, the atmosphere and direction differed significantly. Emery’s vision lacked clarity, and the team’s unity was lacking during his time at Arsenal.

Upon his arrival at Arsenal, Emery outlined a philosophy centered on proactive play with the ball and organized defense. Yet, this approach rarely showed consistency on the field. The captaincy debacle with Granit Xhaka, along with Nicolas Pepe’s underwhelming performance despite a hefty price tag, compounded Emery’s challenges.

Reflecting on his time at Arsenal, Emery acknowledged both successes and failures, citing issues like multiple captaincy changes, the Ozil-Kolasinac incident, and Pepe’s adaptation from the French league as contributing factors to their poor performance.

Pepe’s subsequent move to Trabzonspor and his modest contribution of 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 appearances for Arsenal concluded a disappointing chapter. However, Emery has moved past these challenges and leveraged his successful track record with Spanish teams, particularly in the Europa League, to elevate Aston Villa, positioning himself as one of the Premier League’s top managers alongside Klopp and Guardiola. Jamie Carragher even suggests Emery’s trophy-winning pedigree sets him apart from counterparts like Mikel Arteta and Mauricio Pochettino.