Unai Emery concedes quitting Villarreal for Aston Villa is a “cold and calculating decision”.
Emery gave a farewell media conference today alongside president Fernando Roig.
He said: “I came to Villarreal to achieve some challenges that they had almost touched and I had achieved. I appreciate your trust and I think we have lived up to it. That makes it possible for us to be here like this with this farewell.
“This is a professional decision, I left home with the idea of opening myself up to the professional world with all its consequences. I knew that I was leaving my comfort zone and that this was going to be my path as a professional. Here I have felt some heart again, but the profession is within me. For this reason, I have decided that I should go for this option, since it is a different challenge and one that I think I should take, and that is why I have done it.
“Coaches are professionals and we must be cold and calculating, we must be aware that there are people who love us and people who don’t, so one must make decisions firmly and above all with respect. I don’t know if it’s for everyone, but above all they are for me, I’ve tried to make it so.”
Emery rejected Newcastle United a year ago and continued: “These are different times and different opportunities, last year I considered no and now I consider yes, but always from the professional side.”
He also said: “You make a decision and you must have a broader vision, I came here and thanked Calleja for qualifying for the Europa League. I won that Europa League for them. But each League, each club and each context is different.
“I leave a project alive in the league and in the Conference, with the hope that it continues like this or better. And now I face another one that I like and am passionate about.”
