That’s an upbeat way for us to end! Thanks for joining me – and I’m sure we will be seeing and hearing plenty more from Mr Emery on these pages in the months to come. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Email from Nathan Chehoud:
“Just watched the interview, and was impressed with Emery’s balance of passion and pragmatism. Didn’t promise the world overnight, but did promise effort and commitment. And what a great expression – “protagonist”. I’m looking forward to my club being the protagonist in their own story. To being on the front foot, with a clear strategy - from the corporate side all the way through to each player and their individual roles in individual games. Much as I loved the Wenger Era, the last few years didn’t feel like Arsenal were writing their own story – more having it written for them by external factors and internal inertia. This Gunner is excited – and sleepy. It’s midnight in Australia.”
Key points from Emery's uneveiling
- He wants Arsenal “to be the best team in the Premier League and also in the world”.
- He emphasised the two Ps – possession and pressing – as key to his approach and his team will be “protagonists”, which is a fair common continental translation of “instigators”.
- Individual meetings will be held with all of the squad; there was little specific to say about the future of Jack Wilshere when asked.
- He thanked Arsène Wenger for the “legacy” he has left him.
- Ivan Gazidis spoke of the “new energy” Emery brings, and said he was recommended to the board as first choice for the job on 18 May, which was last Friday
- Gazidis: “His detail, hard work, love for football and will to win made us think this fit was exactly right.”
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Today has definitely made me more excited for Emery. It’s like there’s an entirely new Arsenal to debate and discuss.
— YankeeGunner (@YankeeGunner) May 23, 2018
True, too. Gazidis underlined that: this is a new page, a club whose inner workings now look unrecognisable to those of a decade, or even five years, ago.
Emery seems like a very ambitious guy, but he also comes across as humble and down to earth, not some egomaniac, which is a big relief
— Alexej Behnisch (@behnisch) May 23, 2018
A good take – I doubt that, emotionally, the highs will be too high or the lows too low with Emery.
My take: there wasn’t a huge amount to get worked up about one way or the other, partly because Emery is fairly savvy, partly because he doesn’t speak fluent English and partly because he’s-only-just-arrived-so-give-the-poor-guy-a-chance. But he’s clearly up for the challenge, wants to play energetic and assertive football, and feels he is the right fit for the club. It was a decent enough first outing in front of the media but I suspect that, for the time being, his actions will speak louder than his words.
In the meantime don’t be shy – drop me a line with your responses to all that. Did you like what you heard from Emery?
Incidentally, I felt the most interesting part of that was Gazidis’s outline of the process’s timescale, in that long bit right at the start. Clearly keen to put any idea that Emery wasn’t No 1 choice until very late on to bed ...
That’s it from Emery, and indeed from Gazidis. Top lines to follow ...
Are you relishing beating Guardiola or Mourinho at last? Have you spoken to any other Premier League managers?
“In terms of my past experience, it makes me feel stronger and also allows me to have a guide to my future trajectory. Im very excited to be here, against top coaches and top teams, and have to say the Premier League now it right at the top.
“I speak with a lot of coaches, those are private conversations, but now that I’m here all information is welcome.”
Mesut Ozil – what do you think of him?
“He’s one of the biggest talents at Arsenal and I want talented players here, I want to spend time with him, and all the players. I want to speak with them about how inspired and excited I am to be here and I want the players to feel that as well. This is a wonderful project and we all need to give 100%.”
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How will you win the Champions League?
“All titles are important for us. We can, and want to be, candidates for them. I don’t promise today we will win, but I can promise you we will work hard, will work together, will work with emotion, demanding to find all the objectives.”
What most attracted you to this project? Any other offers? What would be success for you next season?
“I had three fantastic meetings in terms of who was at those meetings. First I met with Ivan, Raul and Sven, they analysed me as a person and a coach, and thought I could be an option for this team. I have to say after a three-hour meeting there was fantastic chemistry between us. That came simply from the fact it was Arsenal, a wonderful history, and I hoped there could be a new future for the club. The second meeting was with the owners, the heart of the club, they transmitted what the fans wanted and I felt a positive energy. My third meeting was in Atlanta and again I had a fantastic feeling. Everything has been very positive in terms of the challenge, which makes me very proud and is a great opportunity to grow.
“Success would be developing, and that’s about battling for every title. It’s in Arsenal’s history and it’s in my history as well. We want to be among the best teams in Europe. I want the team to make the fans proud of the side. I know they are already but I want to make them even more so.”
Back to Emery – how you describe your style of football?
“In my career I am very demanding for all, demanding of the players also. My idea is to be a protagonist for all of the match. We play against teams with this personality, and I think the history here shows they love playing with possession of the ball. I like this, and when you don’t have possession of the ball I want a squad very, very intense in pressing. It’s two things that are very important for me. Being a protagonist, possession of the ball, and pressing.”
To Gazidis – how big is the rebuilding job?
“Our players, we believe, will respond to the new energy Unai brings. They will have somebody under whom they can improve their individual and collective games. If they embrace these challenges the players we have today can be more successful. I don’t think anybody thinks sixth place is a position for a club of our stature How big a rebuilding job is a conversation we have begin and we want to be a candidate for the biggest trophies, as Unai said. But it can’t be done in one leap. I strongly think our fans, when they see the energy Unai brings to the club, will embrace it. The challenge is great, we’ve spent a lot of time building to this moment, not just the last month or six weeks. Building up the capabilities of the club, facilities, medical, analytics, scouting, recruitment. We are working in a different way to the past, more of a team effort, supporting Unai’s vision and energy and finding ways to be successful.”
Was it too individual in the past?
“I don’t say that, I’m not looking backwards, we’re doing it in a new way but you’re never going to hear me being critical of what’s gone before. Now is the time for us to turn a new page and look forward with confidence. There’s a special feeling here and we need to recapture this and push this club forward.”
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What are your targets? Do you need to spend a lot?
“I believe in the players we have here. We can grow with these players and the objective is to work hard with these talented players, to work to be a candidate for all the titles in the future. Then it’s very important for the club, after two years outside the Champions League, to work towards this, to arrive and be the best team in the Premier League and also the world.”
Emery’s range of expression in English isn’t great, you might discern, but he’s giving it a go ...
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How passionately did you fight for this job?
“In all the meetings with the people – Ivan, Raul, Sven – the connection was very important. We spoke about all they want and I want to work together, on this club, this responsibility. To know my ambition, my passion. It is a big responsibility but I think this feeling is very important and my experiences with big clubs are important. All the conversations are very good.”
Is Jack Wilshere in your plans?
“I don’t want to speak about any of the players today. We think we need to change little things. Today I want to work, want to speak globally for the squad.”
How big a challenge is this?
“In my career every year I grow up with a new challenge. For me the challenge is a dream come true.”
What are your immediate priorities?
“Now? To know you. And all the conversations with Ivan and people who work here, to give me all the information about the club. I know all the players, I think they are very important and I want to speak individually with them face to face.”
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Now Emery is speaking, thanking people and speaking highly of the conversation he had with the board. “Also thank you Ivan, Raul and Sven. The first meeting with Arsenal personnel was with people who, after three hours, I had a very good feeling that we will work together and create a new present and future for Arsenal.”
He also thanks Arsène Wenger for his legacy. “For all coaches in the world you are a reference. I learned with him all the things in football.”
“My English is not the very best now and I want to make an effort to speak with you to explain my ambition. I am very excited for this opportunity at a big club, a great city and stadium.”
Ivan Gazidis: “I’m really delighted and excited to announce the new head coach. I know that came as a bit of a surprise, perhaops there were one or two rewrites necessary. But those who know won’t speak and those who speak won’t know. I’ll give you a little insight into the process. We formed a three-person committee of me, Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi. We had some clear criteria: aggressive, entertaining football; personality that fitted with Arsenal’s values; also a record of developing players through detailed tactical instruction and also cultural demand, pushing players.
“We looked through and analysed on the basis that every coach in the world would be interested in this position. We don’t believe any position in world football is more attractive. We created an eight-person longlist. All of them were interested and took part in extensive, in-person interviews. None of them at any stage withdrew their interest. So we were in a fortunate position to make our first choice, and that’s what we did. Our first interviewee was conducted on 25th April, our last was conducted on 15th May and we interviewed Unai on 10th May. We made our unanimous recommendation to the board on 18th May, accompanied by a 100-page dossier. We then met with London members of our board on Monday this week. Unai and Raul and I flew to Atlanta and met Josh and Stan Kroenke and flew back on the red-eye last night.
“So why Unai Emery? I’ve followed Unai’s career very closely and he’s always ben on my radar screen. He’s got a fantastic record wherever he’s gone and his team’s improve over time. He’s a superb fit with the criteria I laid out. But it’s important to move this beyond the paper exercise and having taken third-person references it was very important to move to personal meetings. Unai was incredibly impressive, he came in extraordinarily well prepared, he had an analysis of all of our individual players, their qualities and how he believes he can help them develop individually and collectively, and also detailed analysis of our off-field team. But this wasn’t a purely technical exercise. What also distinguished Unai was the chemistry between us and feeling for football in the room. His detail, hard work, love for football and will to win made us think this fit was exactly right.”
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Here we go – Emery is sitting down at the Emirates ...
Arsenal have produced a very nice little slideshow of their most successful managers – Chapman, Whittaker, Mee, Graham – to go with this appointment, but somehow forgotten to include Wenger ...
“I’m pleased we’ve got someone credible enough to take us to the next step,” Ian Wright has said. I mean, that’s the thing: Emery has serially won European trophies with a club that, like Arsenal, hasn’t seriously been troubling the biggest title contenders. The fit isn’t too bad.
Unai Emery? I’m in! I think with his track record and obvious passion he could become a great success. Big job ahead. Massive shoes to fill. Let’s give him the platform of patience and understanding he will need. #goUnai
— Lee Dixon (@LeeDixon2) May 23, 2018
Another Emery fan!
Looks pretty packed in the Emirates press room. I’ve even seen our own Amy Lawrence on the telly sharing a joke with a colleague of ours. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of reaction from Amy and the rest of our reporters when all this is done.
An extract from Stan Kroenke’s welcome message:
“Several things stood out during his interview and the entire process; his football knowledge, energy, determination and love of the game. His familiarity with our club and our players, the Premier League and the game in Europe were all very impressive. He shares our vision to move forward, to build on the platform created by Arsène Wenger and help this club enjoy greater success.”
He may or may not have been first choice but those who’ve seen Emery work closely reckon he’s a top operator.
Arsenal fans, does all this excite you? I’m getting “meh” vibes from a lot of people but I don’t think it is a huge slight on Emery that he only achieved mixed success at PSG. Anyone who goes there is on a hiding to nothing and this season he had to work around the absurd Neymar circus too, which I’d not wish on anyone. Won’t he add to Arsenal the level of attention to detail, particularly when looking at opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, that his predecessor wasn’t so hot on?
“His career speaks for itself. He did it perfectly in Spain with many teams, as well in France. Welcome to England, a good manager is coming.”
Not my words: those of Pep Guardiola when pressed on the arrival of his countryman.
We'd like to wish good luck to our former manager @UnaiEmery_ on his new adventure with @Arsenal
— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) May 23, 2018
Hopefully we'll see you in the @EuropaLeague next season 😉 pic.twitter.com/PJS9r660Le
Warm wishes from the club where Emery made his name.
I’m watching dramatic footage of Emery being shown the Emirates Stadium dressing rooms by Gazidis. “You can stand here and everyone will watch you,” Gazidis explained to his new colleague, before showing Emery to his new office.
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Before we get going, let me point you towards this excellent piece by David Hytner about the man who appointed Emery, Ivan Gazidis, who I think we may be hearing from later as well:
Preamble
Arsenal have a new manager! Yes they do, and what a strange sentence that is to write. Here’s the even more exciting part: he’s about to speak to us, we think at about 2pm UK time, so let’s huddle round the monitor to see exactly what Unai Emery has to say.
Should we expect a bold mission statement? A few swift platitudes? A duet with Arsène Wenger? A withering takedown of Neymar followed by a detailed outline for his plans to eke world domination out of Alex Iwobi? We will soon find out. And in the meantime, let me know your reactions to this appointment – which of course was only confirmed this morning. It’s all moved very quickly indeed.
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