Newcastle to appoint Unai Emery before Saturday
Newcastle United expect to have Unai Emery as their new manager before the weekend.
Sources have confirmed that Amanda Staveley and the club’s Saudi-led consortium hope to conclude a deal for the Villarreal boss in the next 48 hours.
Sportsmail reported on October 14 that Emery was on the shortlist to replace Steve Bruce, with a buyout clause in the region of £6million.
We understand talks accelerated during a series of Zoom calls on Sunday, and Staveley believes she has now got her man to lead the team out of the relegation zone.
Discussions had taken place with several candidates or their representatives since Bruce was sacked a fortnight ago, including the likes of Paulo Fonseca, Eddie Howe and Roberto Martinez.
But Emery, who turns 50 on Wednesday, has emerged as their No 1 target and Newcastle’s new owners are confident of finalising terms before Saturday’s trip to Brighton. A three-year deal has been discussed.
If successful, it will mark a return to the Premier League for the Spaniard two years on from being sacked by Arsenal.
He then took charge of Villarreal in the summer of 2020 and won the Europa League in May, beating Manchester United on penalties.
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He previously won the competition in three successive seasons with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016.
Emery’s anticipated appointment will represent something of a coup for Staveley, who has led the manager search.
He will be leaving a Champions League team for one in the bottom three of the Premier League, with Newcastle winless in 10 matches.
There are still another 10 games before the January transfer window opens, and the owners are vowing to do what is necessary to keep their club in the top-flight.
Current interim boss Graeme Jones will remain as part of the backroom team, but all other decisions on staff will be left to the new manager.