Legendary former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has come to the defence of Unai Emery after the Spanish manager has led current outfit Villarreal to another excellent showing in Europe this season.
Emery, while at the helm of the La Liga outfit this season, guided the Spanish side to the semi-finals of the Champions League when they stood toe-to-toe with finalists Liverpool after fighting to a 5-2 aggregate loss against what is unquestionably one of the top sides on the continent in Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool.
His success upon his return to Spain was felt last season as well when Villarreal secured their first-ever major honor when they won the Europa League last season, ironically, besting Arsenal along the way when the two clashed in the semi-finals.
Thus far, Emery has shown that he still is a top-level manager, and according to Wenger himself, was treated unfairly during his spell in north London after he was removed from duty before being replaced by Mikel Arteta.
When asked about the club's decision to remove him during his punditry commitments for beIN Sports during yesterday's Champions League fixture, Wenger responded "Certainly yes because they didn't give him a lot of time. I think Unai Emery is a good coach and showed in Spain, he's consistently there at the top level."
Though the Spanish club did not on to do the unthinkable in the top club competition in Europe, Emery continued to build on his legacy in top-level management after Villarreal saw their way past a pre-tournament in Bayern Munich with a massive name on the list of club's he has beaten across his career.
All told, Emery has banked four Europa League wins in his managerial career while also securing seven major honours at the helm of Paris Saint-Germain in just two seasons in the French capital.
Though things are going well at Arsenal under Arteta as the Gunners are in pole position for a return to the Champions League, some may still wonder what could have been with Arsenal if the club remained in Emery’s corner just a little longer.
