Unai Emery says Villarreal have 'nothing to envy Arsenal for'.
The former Gunners boss is now back in Spain with Villarreal, who parted ways with former boss Javi Calleja during the summer despite finishing fifth after a very good end to the season.
And in a recent interview with El Periodico Mediterraneo, Emery was asked whether Villarreal surpass former clubs Arsenal and PSG 'on the inside' despite likely being outweighed by '20 to one' in terms of financial clout.
“Yes, I totally agree, but I have the advantage that I was at Valencia and I already knew what Villarreal was doing and felt admiration for their ability to have these facilities and great players," the former Arsenal boss replied.
"They have played important matches and competitions, all with the merit of doing so in a very small town like Vila-Real and with great national and world recognition.
“The media dimension can be favourable or not, it depends on whether things are going well or badly, but I think the club has that advantage because it has internal demands and execution capacity without the need to have that external dimension.
"Matters are arranged inside. Villarreal has nothing to envy PSG or Arsenal for.”
Emery spent 16 months at Arsenal across 2018 and 2019 before losing his job at the end of November last year.
He was appointed as the new Villarreal boss late July, signing a three-year deal after around eight months out of the game.
Under Emery, the Yellow Submarine have enjoyed a respectable start to the new campaign, picking up eight points from their first five league games.
Like Arsenal, Villarreal will compete in the Europa League this season, the two teams drawn apart for the group stage.
