Thierry Henry is convinced that Unai Emery “would have been a success at Arsenal” if he had been given more time in charge.
Emery took the helm at Arsenal in 2018, succeeding the legendary Arsène Wenger, who had managed the club for 22 years.
However, Emery’s tenure was short-lived; he was sacked after just 18 months and replaced by former Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta.
While Arteta has since transformed Arsenal into genuine Premier League title contenders, Henry believes that Emery could have achieved similar success had he not been dismissed.
Since leaving Arsenal, Emery has proven his managerial prowess by winning the Europa League with Villarreal and guiding Aston Villa to the Champions League.
Speaking ahead of Villa’s 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, Thierry Henry told CBS Sports: “He’s a tactical genius.
“He always goes out there and makes sure that his team has an advantage tactically because that’s how he operates.
“We all know what he did in Spain [winning the Europa League four times with Sevilla and Villarreal].
“It’s no disrespect to what Mikel Arteta is doing and he’s doing extremely well for Arsenal, but I just thought that if we kept him a bit longer he would have been a success at Arsenal.
“He did show it straight after when he left the club. I have massive respect for him.”
Fellow pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher added: “I think he’s fantastic.
“I think he’s one of the best coaches in European football.
“He’s had great success in Europe, not in this particular competition but in the Europa League specifically with Sevilla and Villarreal.
“I would say in the English Premier League we have Pep Guardiola above everybody else and he comes second.
“He’s not at one of the biggest clubs and when you think of the effect a manager can have on a football club…
“I always believe the manager is the most important person at a club and he is testament to that.
“That was a team who were flirting with relegation [when he joined] and within a couple of years they’re in the Champions League.
“It’s phenomenal what he’s done.”
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