Prior to appointing Eddie Howe as manager, Newcastle United had been linked to a number of other options, and had made efforts to bring someone else in.
Their pursuit of Unai Emery was very public, and caused a lot of drama at the Spanish club. There was annoyance that it was all distracting from Villarreal, with the club then building their season and looking for success.
There was also insistence that the Villarreal job, at that stage anyway, was bigger than that on offer in England, and any consideration of taking the job would be purely about money.
Emery rejected Newcastle in the end, and hasn’t been shy of talking about the situation, even when the Magpies approached him. In an interview with Marca, the manager was asked to explain what happened and, again, was happy to do so.
The Spanish newspaper quote him as saying: “Sincerity is an important value. In football I have always been sincere. I prefer to say things to the face. When a club like the one that came, was not more important than Villarreal, but in the context of what that club wants to be and they point it out to me, the first thing I did was listen.
“Then I brought it to the attention of Fernando Roig (Villarreal chief). And I was sincere when the press asked me. And I said that a club like Newcastle had come and I said that I listened and made the decision. I was honest with the club, with the press and made the decision to stay with full transparency. It was settled and I am very happy at Villarreal. I think the club appreciated it. The wheel keeps turning and we are already in the quarters. But football has to go on.”
Emery is referring to taking his side to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, a huge achievement for a club of its size.
Whether Newcastle return for the Spaniard in the future remains to be seen.
