Arsenal legend-turned-pundit Ian Wright is reportedly pleased with the Gunners’ decision to appoint Unai Emery as the new head coach. The north London club were initially leaning towards signing former Gunner Mikel Arteta as the next Gunners boss but made a late decision to bring Emery on-board.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Wright was excited by the prospect of Emery who he believes is a better option than Arteta, who has no managerial experience, he said: “I'm very pleased with that. Obviously it came as a bit of a shock. I feel everybody was getting ready to digest Arteta, even though he is inexperienced when it comes to the level we are going to need. But Emery - very happy with that. I think it's a massive, massive decision they had to make. As much as I've given them stick, I still have to commend them on hopefully getting the right guy because it's a job I wouldn't want to do. Replacing Arsene Wenger after 22 years is a massive job in itself.”
The Capital outfit endured their worst season in over two decades as they finished sixth in the standings and this happened to be the second straight campaign where they failed to make the top four. As such, Emery’s first task would be to propel the Gunners back into the Champions League and this could be encouraged by some shrewd signings during the summer.
Earlier this month, reports suggested that Wenger’s successor could be restricted to a budget of just around £50m but chief executive Ivan Gazidis has recently appeared to dismiss the speculation by suggesting that the club have a surplus requirement in finances to reinforce the first-team squad. Arsenal are yet to make any sort of movement in the transfer market but there are widely expected to strengthen the central defensive department amid Per Mertesacker’s departure and Laurent Koscielny’s long-term injury.