We expect Unai Emery to qualify for the Champions League, says Raul Sanllehi
Arsenal’s head of football Raul Sanllehi says he has expressed his expectations for this season to Unai Emery who is in his second season as coach of the North Londoners after Arsene Wenger left the helm in 2018. Sanllehi has told Emery that he expects Arsenal back in the Champions League.
Unai Emery took charge of Arsenal in 2018 and was tasked with bringing Arsenal back into the UEFA Champions League after a two-year absence. Under Arsene Wenger, the Gunners qualified for 20 consecutive seasons in the Champions League but the Frenchman’s last two seasons were barren in terms of Champions League. In Emery’s first season as Arsenal boss he was successful in taking the team to Europa League final but failed to finish in the top four.
Arsenal are well aware of the importance of Champions League football and have left no stone unturned tactically and financially to bring the club into the top four of the Premier league. Josh Kroenke last summer described the Gunners as having "a Champions League wage bill on a Europa League budget right now" and the Gunners have spent heavily in bringing Nicolas Pepe, Kieran Tierney and David Luiz to back that claim up.
However, after eight games in the Premier League, the Gunners sit third and are well on course to achieve Sanllehi’s target but with 30 league games to go no assurances can be provided. Football.London report that Sanllehi has made their ambitions clear to Emery and a lapse like last season will not be acceptable especially after an upgraded squad.
"We said to Unai that we just missed out on qualifying for the Champions League last year, but this year with a stronger squad, we expect you to do that," Sanllehi said at a fans’ forum event last night.
However, these comments are not to be taken as an ultimatum and Arsenal owners are have full confidence in the former PSG manager. Failing to meet the expectation of finishing in the Champions League spot does not necessarily mean that Emery will face the axe. The former Sevilla manager has only lost one game so far this season and the team has been successful in improving the defensive woes that were evident at the start of the season.
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