Arsene who? Emery unveiled as Arsenal manager as Wenger airbrushed from history

Arsenal have welcomed Unai Emery to the club on social media by posting a video marking memorable managerial reigns – but left the departing Arsene Wenger off the list.

The video uses the motif ‘The Next Chapter’ to run through a list of successful Gunners bosses including Harry Bradshaw, Herbert Chapman, Bertie Mee and George Graham.

But despite a 22-year reign which included two domestic doubles, the unbeaten Invincibles of 2003-04, three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, Wenger is not mentioned, prompting bemused replies from a number of fans.

Emery, 46, left Paris St Germain at the end of the season having won three trophies and replaces Arsene Wenger at the Emirates Stadium.

The Spaniard emerged as the shock favourite earlier this week after it had seemed former Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta was in line to land the job.

Instead the role went to Emery, who won three successive Europa League titles with Sevilla before moving to PSG in 2016.

Emery will work in a head coach capacity at Arsenal.

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That follows the appointments of Raul Sanllehi as head of football relations and Sven Mislintat as head of recruitment over the past year.

The club are seemingly keen to steer away from the model formed under Wenger, withEmery now expected to work closely with the pair in an attempt to bring success back to Arsenal.

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis claimed Unai Emery was the stand-out candidate on an eight-man shortlist for the Arsenal job.

Emery has the unenviable task of replacing long-serving Frenchman Arsene Wenger, but Gazidis is confident they have the right man for the job.

He told a press conference: “We had some clear criteria we were looking for. We wanted progressive, entertaining football. A personality to fit Arsenal values and a reputation for developing players. And also through cultural demands, demanding more from them.

“His teams improve over time. We also felt for some time that he is a superb fit with the criteria I laid out. He came in extraordinarily well-prepared with a detailed knowledge of Arsenal football club.

“He had an analysis to share with us, not just his ways of working, his ways of coaching, the team of people that he works with, but he had an analysis of all of our individual players – their qualities and how he believes he can help them develop individually and collectively – and also an in-depth analysis of our off-the-field team and how they can contribute.

“The thing that distinguished Unai was the chemistry between us. He has an energy, a competitive energy, and will to win that made us think this was a perfect fit for Arsenal.”

Emery thanked his predecessor Wenger for the club he inherits.

After describing his meetings with the club’s owners and board members, Emery said: “We will create a new present and a new future for Arsenal.

“I want to say thank you Arsene Wenger for your legacy. For all the coaches in the world he is a reference. We learned, I learned from him all the things in football.”

Asked about the challenge of filling Wenger’s shoes, he added: “It’s a big challenge for me but I have worked also in other projects, big projects. For me, I am proud to be here and to work after Arsene Wenger.”

The Spaniard said it was too soon to discuss his ideas for the transfer market, and he also declined to discuss the future of Jack Wilshere, whose contract is up this summer.

When asked how big a rebuilding job it is for Emery, Gazidis said: “I think all of our players will respond to the new energy that Unai brings. I think they will have somebody under whom they can improve their individual game and our collective game.

“I don’t think anybody believes that sixth place is a place that a club of the stature of Arsenal should be. We need to look to improve that.

“How big a rebuilding job that is is a discussion that we have started with Unai and a discussion that will continue.

“Clearly the ambition is to get back to the position where we are a candidate to win the biggest trophies in England and the biggest trophies across Europe.

“But what we have to understand is that that will not just be done in one leap. It’s going to be the result of focus, hard work, discipline, energy, commitment, will to win and that’s what we need to have our players embrace and I believe they will.”

Asked to set targets for the upcoming season, Emery said: “Developing. But how do you develop? I think that’s about battling for every title, that’s something in Arsenal’s history and in my history as well. And I want that to continue.

“Our objective is to be among the best teams in Europe, to win titles and to be in the elite of European teams. I also want the team to make the fans proud. I know they are already and I want them to be even more so.”

He said he could not promise silverware would arrive immediately, but said there would be no shortage of effort.

“All the titles are important for us,” he said. “I think we can be and we want to be a candidate for them. I don’t promise today we will win but I can promise you we will work hard and we will work together. We will transmit our emotion and we will fight for the objectives.”