Emery taking credit for three Arsenal stars

Stuart Telford

• 17 Feb 2023 02:47 CST
• 3 min read

Unai Emery returns to Arsenal as Aston Villa manager on Saturday, and he has taken credit for a handful of Mikel Arteta's title chasers ahead of the meeting…

Emery was Arsenal manager between May 2018 and November 2019, steering the Gunners to a fifth-placed finish in his only full Premier League campaign in North London.

The Spaniard was at the helm when Arsenal broke their transfer record, paying Lille €80 million for Nicolas Pepe a matter of months before he was sacked, but he also handed Bukayo Saka his debut.

READ: Arsenal trying to bolt down Saka and Saliba after Martinelli extension

Saka has shone for the Gunners this season and they led the way in the Premier League until they were beaten by champions Manchester City 3-1 on Wednesday. Now a full England international, Emery gave him his debut.

Emery: Arteta continuing what I begun

"Saka and [Emil] Smith Rowe began to play with me," the Villa boss told the Athletic. "I gave Saka his Premier League debut against Fulham, on 1 January, when he was 17.

"You had to work with these young players, to replace those who were there before. Gabriel Martinelli, who arrived then too - I knew he was a player who would grow."

READ: Why Arsenal have nothing to fear over Barcelona's Martinelli interest

Saka, Martinelli and Smith Rowe are now valued at €67.6 million, €39.4m and €23.8m respectively by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, and Arsenal would turn a tidy profit if they cashed in on any of them.

Emery rebuilt his reputation with Villarreal and returned to the Premier League as Aston Villa manager in October. He won 55 per cent of his Arsenal games, which is only two per cent behind Mikel Arteta's record.

"Arteta is doing a good job, continuing what I began," Emery added. "He has had that patience from the fans, the patience they did not have with me. But I understand that."