Arsenal have officially issued a statement confirming that they have relieved Unai Emery of his managerial duties at the club with immediate effect.
Arsenal have issued an official club statement confirming the seemingly inevitable. Unai Emery has been given his marching orders after a horrendous run of results. The Spaniard has been relieved of his managerial duties with immediate effect, with the Arsenal hotseat now left vacant.
The statement iterates that the decision has been taken after a full review of the performances and results, which has not been at the desired level so far. Freddie Ljungberg has been told to take charge of duties as the interim manager for an indefinite period as the hunt for a new manager begins for Arsenal.
Josh Kroenke had this to say about the decision made by the board.
“Our most sincere thanks go to Unai and his colleagues who were unrelenting in their efforts to get the club back to competing at the level we all expect and demand. We wish Unai and his team nothing but future success.”
The decision follows the 2-1 defeat in the UEFA Europa League Group Stage on Thursday at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt, which stretched Arsenal’s winless run to seven games in all competitions.
There are reports that Ljungberg was in charge of conducting the training sessions today, but Emery had reported as usual before being relayed the information of his dismissal.
Emery was the first manager of the post Arsene Wenger era at Arsenal. The start was bright and while there were challenges to overcome, the Spaniard came close to Champions League qualification and a trophy, reaching the final of the UEFA Europa League only to taste a crushing defeat at the hands of local rivals Chelsea.
The ensuing season started off well, with exciting arrivals in the summer and back-to-back wins to kick their 2019-20 Premier League campaign off. Arsenal even went on an eight-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, which was stopped by a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United.
Emery & co. have been dire since, recording just one win – a narrow 3-2 result over Vitoria de Guimaraes – since the defeat to Sheffield United. This run of form has seen Arsenal slip to 8th on the Premier League table and out of the Carabao Cup in heartbreaking fashion on penalties to a largely youthful Liverpool lineup.
The most worrisome part of the 2019-20 season was Arsenal’s inability to hold leads, which came back to haunt them many-a times. The defensive errors cost the Gunners a lot and there wasn’t any improvement in the performances at the back over the weeks.
With Emery’s dismissal, Arsenal will now be looking to delve into the market for a new manager, with current reports linking them to Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo. It will be interesting to see who is next in line to attempt to emulate or further the success ushered upon Arsenal under Arsene Wenger.