Aston Villa have appointed Unai Emery as manager following the sacking of Steven Gerrard.

Villa have paid a £5.2m buyout fee to Villarreal for the 50-year-old.

Caretaker Aaron Danks will again take charge at Newcastle this weekend, after Gerrard was dismissed last week following a 3-0 Premier League defeat by Fulham.

Emery, who would have been out of contract at Villarreal next summer, will begin work next week “after his work permit formalities are completed,” Villa said.

They added: “Aston Villa is delighted to announce the appointment of Unai Emery as the club’s new head coach.

“A highly experienced top level coach who has managed over 900 games, Unai has also previously managed in the Premier League during a spell with Arsenal, leading the Gunners to a Europa League final.

“He has also enjoyed notable success at Sevilla and at Paris St-Germain. In Seville, he won three successive Europa League titles between 2013 and 2016 before going on to lift a Ligue 1 championship in France as well as two French Cups, two French League Cups and two Trophees des Champions.”

Emery joined Villarreal in 2020 and led them to Europa League success in the 2020-21 season, beating Manchester United in the final.

The Spanish club also reached last year’s Champions League semi-finals under Emery, losing 5-2 to Liverpool on aggregate.

Emery’s Villarreal appointment followed his sacking after just 18 months as Arsenal manager in November 2019, after failing to win in seven games – the Gunners’ worst run at the time since February 1992.

During his time in north London he took Arsenal to the Europa League final, losing to Chelsea in 2019.

Villa beat Brentford 4-0 on Sunday under caretaker Danks – just their third win in 12 Premier League games this season – which left them 14th, three points above the relegation zone.

The club had also held talks with representatives of Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorin.

‘Emery appointment sign of Villa ambition’ – analysis

Aston Villa’s appointment of Unai Emery is sign of the club’s ambition and determination to make a mark in Europe.

Emery is a peerless European specialist, having won the Europa League three seasons in succession at Sevilla before lifting the trophy again with Villarreal when they beat Manchester United in 2021.

He retains an excellent reputation and was the prime target for Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian owners before they appointed Eddie Howe. Emery looked set for Tyneside last November only to have a last-minute change of mind.

Emery’s first task is to move Villa up the Premier League and he will return to England as a manager with something to prove following his sacking by Arsenal in 2019.

He followed Arsene Wenger, and even though his time at Emirates Stadium has been painted as a failure, Arsenal finished fifth in his full season in charge and he once again demonstrated his expertise in European competition, leading the Gunners to the Europa League final where they lost to Chelsea.

Villa’s owners want the club to be competing in Europe and want a reset following the sacking of Steven Gerrard after less than a year.

In Emery, they have landed one of Europe’s most experienced, respected and decorated coaches who will be fired by a fierce determination to set the record straight after his time at Arsenal.

On our Aston Villa club page, we asked whether Emery was a good appointment. Here are some of the comments:

Barry: Without ANY disrespect to Paul Lambert, Tim Sherwood, Remi Garde, Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard, we’ve at last moved away from an ‘up and coming’ coach to an experienced, genuinely clever tactician – and one with something to prove. Not the most eye-watering appointment (eg. Mauricio Pochettino), but one that looks to the long term and has a whiff of ‘maybe, just maybe…’

Marc: Emery was the top choice after Pochettino and his CV speaks for itself. He will have learned from his experience at Arsenal and now comes from Villarreal to the real Villa! Let’s hope he can fire us to Europe!

Peter: I’m very pleased with this appointment. Someone with Emery’s breadth of experience is what’s needed to lead Villa to reach their full potential. Onwards and upwards.

Guy: Michael Beale was the man behind Gerrard, and just look at what he’s doing at QPR. He would have been my choice, but maybe he’s happy at QPR after turning down Wolves. Emery is way more experienced than Beale and Gerrard combined, which makes him an exciting prospect for Villa fans.