Unai Emery: Three Arsenal Players New Aston Villa Boss May Sign, Including a Fan Favourite

Unai Emery: Three Arsenal Players New Aston Villa Boss May Sign, Including a Fan Favourite

Edwin Kiplagat
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:15 PM
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  • New Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is set to start the revival at Villa Park after a poor start to the season
  • The former Gunners manager could look to strengthen in January if things don't improve for Villa
  • The four-time Europa League winners could raid Arsenal for some of their fringe players

Unai Emery made a sensational return to the Premier League after being appointed as the new Aston Villa manager on Monday, October 24. He replaces Steven Gerrard, who was fired last week.

Emery has a job on his hands, as he is tasked with steering Villa out of the bottom half of the table after the club was pulled into the relegation fight after their first 12 matches.

Unai Emery, Ainsley Maintland-Niles, Kieran Tierney, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Premier League, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Villareal, Europa League
Unai Emery took Arsenal to the Europa League final, losing to Chelsea in 2019. Photo by Stuart MacFarlane.
Source: Getty Images

Villa are currently 15th in the table following the emphatic 4-0 win over Brentford this past weekend. They have accrued 12 points from 12 matches but have won just three of them, according to the BBC.

However, Emery is a highly revered manager and many pundits have praised the appointment of the former Arsenal manager, who led Villarreal to Europa League glory in 2021, also according to BBC.

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Arsenal players Emery may sign

With Emery viewed as an ambitious manager, he may look to raid his former side. Here are some Gunners players he may look to sign, according to Football London.

1. Ainsley Maitland-Niles

The 25-year-old has failed to nail down a starting spot at Arsenal and has been sent on multiple spells. The Arsenal academy graduate has worked with Emery before, and his versatility gives him an edge since he understands the Spaniard's demands.

2. Albert Sambi Lokonga

Although Sambi Lokonga possesses the talent to play at the top level with Arsenal, game time is hard to come by. He's been confined to cup games, with the experienced Thomas Partey preferred in league games. However, a loan move to Aston Villa could see him get a starting spot in league games.

Albert Sambi Lokonga, Unai Emery, Aston Villa, Villareal, Arsenal, Premier League, La Liga, Europa Leahue
Albert Sambi Lokonga hasn't nailed down a starting spot for Arsenal. Photo by David Price.
Source: Getty Images

3. Kieran Tierney

Emery signed Tierney while at Arsenal, and with stiff competition from Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu, he's made sporadic appearances. If Villa are ambitious, they could move for the Scotsman. 37-year-old Ashley Young starts at left-back for Villa, which means a glorious opportunity exists.

The origin of 'Good Ebening'

Sports Brief earlier reported on where the famous 'Good Ebening' greeting from Unai Emery originated from.

Emery always started his press conferences with the phrase, to the point that he became nicknamed 'Good Ebening' in some quarters.

Emery was always on the receiving end due to his shaky pronunciation of the phrase 'good evening'.

Authors
Edwin Kiplagat photo
Edwin Kiplagat
Edwin Kiplagat has five years of experience in journalism working as a Sports Editor at Africa Insight Communications and ESPN. Edwin Kiplagat is a Bachelor's Degree holder in journalism from the Multimedia University of Kenya.
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