Unai Emery has described his return to the Premier League as “more of a challenge than revenge”.
The former Arsenal manager was appointed as Steven Gerrard’s successor at Aston Villa last month and oversaw a 3-1 victory over Manchester United during his first game in charge.
While he was a highly respected coach in European competition after trophy-laden spells at Sevilla and Villareal, as well as Paris Saint-Germain, the 51-year-old struggled to fully convince in England.
Given the difficult task of replacing Arsene Wenger in 2018, Emery did not lead Arsenal back to the Champions League (they finished fifth in his only full season) and were beaten in the Europa League final by London rivals Chelsea in defeat. convincing.
Sacked in November 2019, Emery rebuilt his reputation by winning the Europa League with Villarreal and defeating United in the 2021 final.
However, successor Mikel Arteta recently paid tribute to the Villa boss, highlighting that replacing Wenger directly would have been difficult for any manager.
Speaking to Marca, Emery said: “I am better prepared to face a new challenge in the Premier (Liga).
“I already have a year and four months of experience in this League. I think my first year at Arsenal was enjoyable. It was broken by a few things that I have identified and that I am now going to try to avoid.
“I have always had an internal goal of having a new opportunity and returning better prepared and I think that at Villarreal I have acquired a continuity that has made them call me again from England. It’s more of a challenge than a revenge.
“I had to accept it as something very professional.”
