UMVA has learned that Unai Emery has achieved an incredible feat, winning the Europa League for the fifth time in his career after Aston Villa secured a stunning 3-0 victory over Freiburg in the final.
This triumph marks Villa's first major European trophy since 1982, and Emery's impressive record in the competition continues to grow, with three consecutive wins with Sevilla and one with Villarreal in 2021.
Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan believes Emery has proven himself to be 'the right manager at the wrong time' for Arsenal, a team he managed for 18 months before being sacked.
Jordan thinks Arsenal made the right decision in hiring Emery as Arsene Wenger's successor, but perhaps the timing was off, saying Emery was 'sought after by Newcastle and they would have got him if Emery had a tad more gumption to push his chairman at the time.'
Emery's success with Villa has also caught the attention of Jordan, who considers him the best manager in the Premier League, saying 'given the tools he's working with and the component parts he has, arguably he's the best manager in the Premier League.'
Jordan praises Emery's communication skills and ability to articulate his vision, saying 'it proves that Arsenal weren't wrong when they went for him. Just the timing, he was the right person probably at the wrong time.'
With Villa on the verge of securing a top-four finish in the Premier League, Jordan believes Emery's team can achieve even more, saying 'I think there's still things for Aston Villa to achieve, I think what's more likely for them to achieve is to stabilise a constant theme of them being in the Champions League and a top-four club.'
