Unai Emery has hailed the "fantastic chemistry" he shared with Ivan Gazidis, Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi in their initial meetings about the head coach role.
The Spaniard said the conversations they shared only served to convince him further that his moving to Arsenal was the right move for all parties.
This is what he told the media:
on how he sold himself to the board…
All the meetings with the people, with Ivan, Raul and Sven, the first meeting, the most important thing to me was the connection. We spoke at this moment about how they want to work and how we have a responsibility at this club together. To know my ambition, to know my passion, to know how I want to improve this team in the project at Arsenal. It’s a big responsibility but I think this feeling is very important. And for them, as a big club, it is important and for me, all the conversations were very good with the same idea, the same way, to improve in the present and the future.
on why he wanted to come to Arsenal…
I had fantastic meetings, in terms of who was at them. Firstly I met with Ivan, Raul and Sven. They analysed me as a person and as a coach, and they thought I could be an option for this team. I have to say that, after a three-hour meeting, there was fantastic chemistry between us. To be honest, that chemistry came simply from the fact that it was Arsenal because they have a wonderful history. I hoped that there could be a new future for the club. The second meeting was with the chairman and owners. They are the heart of the club and they transmitted what the fans wanted. I really felt positive energy in terms of what they felt about Arsenal. My third meeting was with the owner in Atlanta. Again there, we had a fantastic feeling in terms of the way we spoke to each other about the project. I think every step leading up to today has been very positive in terms of what I want after Spain and France, in terms of Arsenal, in terms of the challenge of coming to Arsenal. It’s something that makes me very proud and it’s a great opportunity for me to grow.
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