Paul Robinson has warned that the Newcastle fans won’t be excited by the possible appointment of Unai Emery, as he told the Football Show on Sky Sports (02/11/21 at 10:30 am).
The Villarreal manager is seemingly the leading contender to replace Steve Bruce in the Newcastle dugout, according to Sky Sports.
Newcastle fans have been waiting for a while for that new face to come in – it has been over a week since Bruce was sacked.
Given the nature of Newcastle’s takeover, and how it all happened, it has meant that bringing in a new manager is taking longer than expected.
If it is indeed Emery that takes to the St James’ Park touchline, then the ex-Arsenal boss will have his work cut out because the Magpies are yet to win a Premier League game this season.
Given his past experiences in the Premier League, former England goalkeeper Robinson admitted that he is ‘not sure’ about the 50-year-old coming in.
“From a Newcastle fans point of view, putting myself in that situation,” said Robinson.
“You have got all these millions promised to invest into the squad and I am not too sure an appointment like Unai Emery would excite me, in all honesty.
“I think Newcastle fans, and people in this country, will look at his time at Arsenal, it wasn’t a success. He couldn’t get the team playing. He couldn’t get a certain formation or identity. And he struggled.
“You look at his record, Sevilla, PSG and Villarreal now. His stats and his figures add up. For me, from a Newcastle point of view, it wouldn’t be an appointment that excites me.”
Emery’s spell at Arsenal was a mixed one because things did start off in a strong fashion and there were some positive things to take out of it.
Yes, he was sacked by the Gunners, and it’s not like things have improved since, but he did reach the Europa League final, played attacking football and brought through young players.
It was Emery who gave Bukayo Saka a chance in the first team and signed players like Kieran Tierney.
So, it’s not all doom and gloom if it is Emery as Newcastle’s next manager and, at the end of the day, he’s an upgrade on Bruce.
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