MADRID, July 21 (Xinhua) — Former Arsenal, Paris Saint Germain, Sevilla and Valencia coach Unai Emery is the favorite to take over at Villarreal after the club confirmed on Monday that Javier Calleja would not be continuing at the helm.
Calleja leaves Villarreal, where he also spent time as a player, after guiding the team to a fifth place finish this season to qualify for the Europa League.
The club confirmed the news of Calleja’s departure on its website after 131 games in charge in which he achieved 57 wins, 30 draws and 44 defeats over a three-year-spell.
That spell actually saw him sacked early in the 2018-19 season, but then reinstated months later to lead Villarreal to safety in the final weeks of the campaign as they flirted with relegation.
Emery would be an experienced choice to take the club, bringing with him a wealth of European experience, winning the Europa League in three successive seasons with Sevilla and taking Arsenal to the 2019 final, which they lost to Chelsea.
He has also won Ligue 1 with PSG and consistently guided Valencia to top-four finishes in Spain during his four seasons at the club. Although he was sacked by Arsenal earlier this season Emery has consistently been successful in Spain.
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