It now seems only a matter of time before Unai Emery is confirmed as the new manager of Newcastle United.
The Spaniard appears to have beaten the likes of Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard to the job of replacing Steve Bruce at St James’ Park.
If he does indeed arrive in the North East, it will be Emery’s second stint in charge of a Premier League club having previously spent 18 months in charge of Arsenal.
Newcastle can certainly learn from Emery’s first bits of transfer business, something that will be key with the Saudi Arabian billions they now have access to.
Here, Mirror Football looks at Emery’s first six signings at the Emirates and what they suggest Newcastle can expect…
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Stephan Lichtsteiner
Emery’s first signing after taking charge at the Emirates was veteran full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer from Juventus.
He won seven Serie A titles and four Coppa Italias across spells at Juve and Lazio, suggesting to Newcastle that Emery may look to experience when he begins implementing his ideas.
But the move turned out to be a bust, with the Swiss international not being able to keep up with the pace of the Premier League.
He made just 14 appearances in the English top-flight before departing for Augsburg, which may serve as a cautionary tale if Emery takes over at St James’ Park.
Bernd Leno
Much like Lichtsteiner, Bernd Leno had acquired a huge amount of experience despite his young age at Bayer Leverkusen.
He was a regular in goal for the Bundesliga side and looked to be a very astute signing, developing a reputation for being a solid shot-stopper.
While he has now been benched in favour of Aaron Ramsdale, the signing of Leno could hint that Emery will make sure he has a trustworthy goalkeeper to start his revolution.
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Sokratis Papastathopoulos
A clear theme runs through Emery’s early Arsenal signings, with Sokratis another experienced defender following spells at AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund.
The Greek was more of a no-nonsense defender than a ball-playing centre-back, which saw him quickly drop out of Mikel Arteta’s plans.
He joined Olympiakos on a free transfer, helping them to win the Greek Super League, but his signing will again show that Newcastle can expect experience to be the priority.
Lucas Torreira
Lucas Torreira looked to be the perfect signing for the Premier League, a combative midfielder who was not afraid to make a tackle.
But his great form in his first season fell away in Emery’s second campaign in charge, with the Uruguayan also banished to Atletico Madrid by Arteta.
While the move did not work out, the signing of Torreira suggests Emery knows he needs to bring in physical midfielders to help his side win the ball.
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Matteo Guendouzi
When Matteo Guendouzi arrived at the Emirates, he looked to be a change in strategy from Emery as one for the future.
But he quickly fought his way into Emery’s plans and became a regular in Arsenal’s starting line-up, despite his young age.
He has since been sent out to Marseille, but his signing from Ligue 2 Lorient suggests that Emery does have an eye for younger players.
Denis Suarez
More classed as a player signed to make an immediate impact was Denis Suarez, but the move was a total disaster.
The midfielder failed to make an impact after arriving from Barcelona and has since joined Celta Vigo on a permanent deal.
There is not much to learn from the signing of Suarez, though Newcastle and Emery may avoid those who are only bit-part players at the likes of Barca.
