Newcastle United owners were left reeling after Unai Emery pulled out of a move to become their new head coach since they sacked Steve Bruce.
Newcastle had expected to appoint Unai Emery as their new coach before Saturday’s trip to Brighton following positive talks earlier this week. However, things didn’t go as expected. Emery decided to stay with Villarreal having previously indicated a willingness to take over at St James’ Park.
Sources in Spain reveal Emery has his “head turned” by the “money and ambition” at Newcastle but that he then felt the “warmth” of Villarreal’s hierarchy and their supporters amid talks of exit.
These sources further reveal he (Emery) has decided to stay in an environment in which he is “comfortable” and that a lot of what has been claimed on his behalf are “excuses”.
In a statement, Emery said, “No matter how much noise there was yesterday in another country, within the club there was transparency and loyalty with the Roig family and with my squad. Which is the most important thing”.
“Villarreal CF is my home and I am 100% committed. Honestly, I am grateful for the interest of a great club. But even more grateful to be here. That is why I communicated to Fernando Roig of my decision to want to continue being part of this project. It is because of the commitment and respect that I perceive from the club and from my players. It is mutual and reciprocal”.
“I want to thank the fans for the support they have always shown me. On Sunday we have a very important game and I hope that together we can achieve victory”.
The Spaniard’s withdrawal is a blow for a regime whose side are 19th in the Premier League and without a win in 10 matches. They were convinced Emery was the right man to lead the team to safety. This means the Newcastle’s manager will return to the drawing in their search for Steve Bruce’s replacement.