Former Arsenal manager Unai Emery said he is thankful for his time at the Emirates and insisted it an honor "to understand and feel the greatness of Arsenal." Emery, though, admitted he was sad to have fallen short of expectations, stressing that "I would have liked nothing more than to have achieved better results for you."
The Spaniard was fired by the Arsenal board following the loss at home against Eintracht Frankfurt. That game further fueled speculations that Emery is on the way out, and indeed the ax came down falling on the following day.
In a statement, Emery highlighted that his entire stay with the Gunners was marked chiefly by good things.
"I have enjoyed and learned a lot in England, in the Premier League, about respect for professionals and about the purity of football," the Express reported him as saying.
"It has been a year and a half full of emotions, of great moments and some other more bitter ones, but not a single day has gone by without me stopping to think about how lucky I have been to work for this club with these players and their professional and personal qualities," Emery added.
Likewise, the former boss for the Gunners has indicated that the Arsenal community has been kind to him, stressing that he was "treated with honor and honesty," and that stayed true up to the last minute.
Emery thanked those closest to him during his 18-month stint as head coach and cited Raul Sanllehi, Edu, and Vinai Venkatesham "for their respect, companionship, and help." In addition, the Spaniard mentioned in his letter Ivan Gazidis, who he described as the first person to welcome him at the Emirates.
Moving forward, Emery called on the Arsenal supporters to continue firing up the Gunners.
According to Metro, Emery seemed so sure he would keep his job in spite of the growing clamor to let him go. In the last international break, the Arsenal board gave the former PSG coach the vote confidence and hinted that he would stay at least until the end of the season.
Unfazed by the defeat on Thursday, the Spaniard reported for work on Friday and was ready to commence on training when he was summoned for a meeting.
"The Spaniard was called into a meeting with Arsenal's head of football Raul Sanllehi and their technical director Edu where he was delivered the news," the report said.
Arsenal insiders revealed that Emery received the decision respectfully, and he was given moments with the Gunners to say his goodbye. The players were informed separately about Emery's departure.
The Arsenal board has appointed Freddie Ljungberg as interim manager and indicated he will in charge until the arrival of a permanent replacement. During his first training session with the players, Ljungberg told his squad "to stick together, turn this around and play for the shirt."
