Jamie Carragher has backed Aston Villa’s decision to appoint former Arsenal manager Unai Emery as Steven Gerrard’s replacement.
Emery was confirmed as Villa’s new manager on Monday night, with the Spaniard leaving Villarreal to replace sacked former Liverpool and England midfielder Gerrard.
Gerrard, 42, lost his job after Aston Villa’s dismal 3-0 defeat to Fulham last week and departed with the club just one place above the relegation zone.
In their first game since Gerrard’s sacking, Villa smashed Brentford 4-0 under caretaker manager Aaron Danks.
Aston Villa approached former Paris Saint-Germain manager and ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel after axing Gerrard but both have snubbed the chance to take over at Villa Park.
Villa subsequently turned their attentions to Emery and said they were ‘delighted’ to confirm the 50-year-old as their new manager in a statement on Monday night.
Emery struggled during his spell at Arsenal after replacing Arsene Wenger as manager but has won major trophies at PSG, Sevilla and Villarreal.
Discussing Villa’s interest in Emery before the appointment was confirmed, Carragher said on Sky Sports: ‘I think it would be a fantastic appointment. I’m a huge fan of Unai Emery.
‘If you look at his career, he’s had a lot of his success with teams just below the elite, those teams almost fighting with the bigger clubs.
‘It didn’t go well for him at Arsenal but you look at what he did at Villarreal, Europa League winners, pushed Liverpool in the Champions League as well.
‘No disrespect but he’s not the type of manager for Barcelona or Real Madrid but he can compete against big teams with more money.
‘He gets his teams really organised and he’s a super coach. For Aston Villa right now, that would be a great appointment.’
Emery was due to be out of contract next summer and had not signed a new deal with Villarreal, who he joined in 2020.
Newcastle United also expressed interest in luring Emery from Spain last year following Steve Bruce’s sacking but the 50-year-old turned down the job.
Aston Villa held talks with highly-rated Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim before closing in on Emery but he was reluctant to leave Sporting Lisbon.
Villa say Emery will take over from November 1 after his work permit is completed, meaning his first game in charge will be against Manchester United.
MORE : Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp sends message to sacked Steven Gerrard
MORE : Coutinho ‘should apologise’ to Steven Gerrard after Aston Villa sacking
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