Soccer

Unai Emery close to replacing Steve Bruce at Newcastle

Club hopes that former Arsenal boss will be in place for Saturday’s trip to Brighton

Newcastle are hopeful of having Unai Emery in charge of Saturday’s trip to Brighton. Photograph: Manuel Queimadelos/Getty Images

Louise Taylor
Tue Nov 2 2021 - 12:11

Unai Emery is close to returning to the Premier League as Newcastle United’s new manager after the club’s Saudi Arabian-led owners identified the Villarreal coach as their preferred choice to succeed Steve Bruce.

Although negotiations concerning Emery’s proposed salary are ongoing and could yet collapse, there is cautious optimism at St James’ Park that the former Sevilla, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain coach will be in place for Saturday’s trip to Brighton.

Emery, who turns 50 on Wednesday, is set to take charge of Villlarreal at home to Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday night but, with Newcastle happy to pay his employers about £6m in compensation, he and his advisers have been talking to Amanda Staveley and her fellow directors via Zoom since the weekend. - Guardian