Unai Emery has admitted that he was tempted by Newcastle United's 'attractive project' but the Villarreal manager decided to stay put in his homeland out of respect to his employers.
Newcastle's owners launched a thorough search for a new manager following Steve Bruce's departure last October. A list of dozens of coaches around the world was whittled down to just two names: Emery and Eddie Howe.
While they are two very different managers, it is easy to see why Emery and Eddie Howe were shortlisted. Emery, of course, is a serial winner while Howe helped build Bournemouth up from a side languishing at the bottom of the Football League to one which held its own in the top-flight for years.
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Howe soon emerged as the frontrunner after Newcastle's approach for Emery leaked just hours before Villarreal's crucial Champions League group clash against Young Boys. Emery, unnerved, ultimately turned Newcastle down and the former Arsenal boss has now explained that decision.
“The Newcastle project is an attractive project, something to build, different to Arsenal,” he told the Athletic.
“With Arsenal, you first had to knock down the walls, which is hard work, then start to build again. Newcastle no, it was just about building, from the ground up. So it is different, and I liked the idea.
“The Premier League is an attractive league for all us coaches. So when Newcastle called me, I thought a lot about the opportunity to return to England, to a serious project. For me, it was a source of pride, satisfaction and I appreciated it.
“The opportunity of a club like Newcastle, what it could turn out to be, it is normal for me to listen to the offer, to consider it.
“I thought about the offer and I spoke with (Villarreal president) Fernando Roig but I also had to take into account that we were in the Champions League with Villarreal, mid-season. In the end, with a lot of respect for Villarreal, and a lot of respect for Newcastle, I decided to stay here. I am happy here and we are doing an important job.”
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