Unai Emery set himself a target of delivering Aston Villa’s first major trophy in more than two decades as he prepares to take charge of his opening game as the club’s coach.
Nearly three years after he was sacked by Arsenal, the Spaniard is back in the Premier League and begins his stint at Villa Park against Manchester United on Sunday.
Emery has won 11 major trophies in his career, including four Europa League titles, and believes he can do the same at his new club.
‘My dream is to win a trophy with Villa,’ he said. ‘That is my personal challenge at the beginning, and my second dream could be to play in Europe.
‘But now we can think only about the next game. We are not in a good position in the table. Every match will give us a lot of information on our players and I want to check and test them.
‘I learned a lot at Arsenal, as I did at every team. I played in European competition for 15 years in a row and the English teams were always a big challenge. I believe the Premier League is now the best in the world.’
‘The players are underperforming. The idea is to give them the chance to improve and take confidence and trust in each player. We want to play together and create a good atmosphere.’
Emery’s appointment was driven by Nassef Sawiris, one of Villa’s two billionaire owners, who is desperate to take the club into Europe for the first time in more than a decade.
Chief executive Christian Purslow is confident Emery can take the club to a new level after his arrival from Villarreal.
He said: ‘This is the most important moment and step since we were promoted from the Championship three-and-a-half years ago. Unai will have the personal support of the owners in driving forward the first team, and the crucial work of bringing through young talent.’
