Former Aston Villa striker Darren Bent believes you can’t argue with Unai Emery’s footballing pedigree as he prepares to take over as head coach at Park.
Emery was named the new Villa manager on Monday night, succeeding Steven Gerrard, who was fired last week. Following a brief stint with Arsenal from 2018 to 2019, the Spaniard will begin his second stint in the Premier League.
The 50-year-old manager has a lengthy coaching resume, having worked in Spain, France, and England. He has four Europa League titles and led Villarreal to the Champions League semi-finals last season.
Bent, who has previously coached Sevilla, PSG, and Arsenal, believes Emery has the qualities to be successful in English football for the second time.
“I don’t think you can poke holes in his pedigree because it didn’t end well for him at Arsenal,” Bent told talkSPORT. “You’re talking about a coach who has won the Europa League four times; I think he’s a fantastic coach.
“[Mikel] scored 70 points for Arsenal. Arteta has never scored 70 points in a season, and we finished fifth. He was a good manager, but the football he was playing at the end of his time at Arsenal was not entertaining.
“He also had to deal with the [Mesut] Ozil situation, which worked against him. I believe he is a good coach; I do not believe you can win the trophies he has if you are not a good coach. You can say what you want about his time at Arsenal, but it was always going to be difficult for any man who came in after Arsene Wenger – the man had been there for over 20 years.
Loading “We look at Manchester United, where David Moyes took over after Sir Alex Ferguson left the club after 20 years. It’s not an easy task, and he’s joining a league that, in my opinion, is improving all the time.
“I believe it is the right appointment, and as an Aston Villa fan, I am very excited about it.”
