Unai Emery: What can Arsenal fans expect of their new manager?

When Arsenal supporters learned of the news that Arsene Wenger was to step down at the end of the season, they might have expected a Spaniard to replace him.

Luis Enrique, the former Barcelona coach, seemed first in lone for the job, then Mikael Arteta moved into such a strong position that the role appeared already his. However, a dramatic last-minute U turn has seen Unai Emery anointed as the man to fill the vacuum.

Emery, the former Sevilla boss, has a good deal in common with Wenger – not least that he was effectively forced to announce that he was stepping down from his role as Paris Saint-Germain coach before the season was out.

His aim is to bring back the glory days to the Gunners after 14 years without a league title.

“It's very important for the club, after two years outside the Champions League, to work to be the best team in the Premier League and also in the world,” he boldly claimed as he was introduced to the media.

But while CEO Ivan Gazidis claimed that the board were “energised and enthused” by the appointment, it is one that has caused surprise in the French capital, where he was respected but not universally.

His time in Ligue 1, two seasons, was not considered to be a success. He might have won five out of six domestic trophies, allowing the league to slip into Monaco’s grasp following his first campaign in charge, but the yardstick by which he and future bosses of the Parc des Princes club is measured is on the European stage.

Successive defeats in the Champions League last-16 stage were not deemed sufficient. PSG’s meek surrender this year against Real Madrid was considered a poor sequel to their astonishing collapse against Barcelona 12 months earlier. Emery’s side showed their teeth at Parc des Princes as they won 4-0 only to slump to an embarrassing 6-1 reverse in the return.

Arsenal Unveil New Head Coach Unai Emery

That defeat against Barca was to become his defining moment in Paris, a shadow from which he was destined to never emerge. And yet, had it not been for a blistering few minutes from the Catalans, PSG would have won through and been anointed one of the favourites to win the competition.

So, while it would be wrong to brand his time with PSG a failure, there was the potential for fate to have taken a different path.

Leaving Paris, there is a sense that Emery did not have what it took to manage one of Europe’s superclubs – a status that Arsenal should be seeking to attain, as their new manager pointed out in his press conference.

Three straight Europa League victories with Sevilla were positive, but they did not prepare him for coping with egos such as that of Neymar, who spent his first year in Paris doing apparently as he pleased.

Emery was not the type of coach to adopt a dramatically disciplinarian approach, which will no doubt please the likes of Mesut Ozil, who would probably not have appreciated the arrival of a more demanding coach.

What will have attracted Arsenal to the 46-year-old is that he will not demand total control over first-team matters in the manner that Wenger did. The Gunners are seeking to adopt a more hierarchical structure with regards the first team, probably involving the introduction of a sporting director, who will act as Emery’s line manager.

Paris Saint-Germain parted ways with Emery despite the league title.

He is well used to working in such situations. Monchi made the transfer calls for him with Sevilla, while with PSG, there was both a sporting director and the presence of president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who made many of the key decisions, keeping him in line but at times in the strange situation of being below the players in the pecking order.

Additionally, he will be asked to change the style of the Arsenal side away from the safety-first possession game that they typically play. This was how PSG played when he first arrived, but his efforts to transform them into a more dynamic, direct team were stymied by the influence of senior players, highlighting his struggle controlling the dressing room.

He is known as a coach who prefers a 4-2-3-1 system and that is likely how he will ask his Arsenal teams to play. And while he failed to impose this philosophy in Paris due to the power of the players, he is bound to get more support at the Emirates, where the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should thrive in such conditions.

Emery may not be the name that Arsenal fans craved and may not even be a manager cut out for the very top level, but he represents a shrewd man to bring in during this transitional phase for the club.

“We will create a new future for Arsenal,” he said on Wednesday. There is no guarantee, however, that it is a bright one.