Thierry Henry insists Unai Emery would have been a success if given more time at Arsenal as he labels the Aston Villa boss ‘a tactical genius’

Thierry Henry has claimed that Unai Emery would have been a success at Arsenal if he had been given more time at the club.

Emery was in charge of Arsenal for 78 games before being sacked in November 2019 and is now in charge of Aston Villa.

Arsenal have enjoyed an upward trajectory under Mikel Arteta, but Gunners legend Henry believes Emery could have also made a big impact.

Emery’s Villa defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 at home in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, with Jhon Duran scoring in the 79th minute.

Speaking on CBS Sports, Henry said of Emery: ‘He’s a tactical genius. He always goes out and makes sure his team has a tactical advantage because that’s how he operates.

Thierry Henry claimed Unai Emery would have been a success at Arsenal if he had been given more time

Henry called Emery a ‘tactical genius’ and believes he could have flourished at Arsenal

‘We all know what he did in Spain (winning the Europa League four times with Sevilla and Villarreal). There’s no disrespect to what Mikel Arteta is doing and he’s doing extremely well for Arsenal, but I just thought if we had kept him a little longer he would have been a success at Arsenal.

‘He showed it straight away when he left the club. I have enormous respect for him.’

Emery did not win a trophy at Arsenal as his side were defeated by Chelsea in the 2019 Europa League final.

Arsenal have been on an upward trajectory under Mikel Arteta in recent years

Although there were some positive moments, Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League in Emery’s only full season at the club.

After leaving Arsenal, Emery won the Europa League with Villarreal in the 2020/21 season, having previously won the competition three times with Sevilla.

Emery’s Villa side currently sit fifth in the Premier League, one point behind Arsenal.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have finished second in two consecutive seasons under Arteta and will hope this can be the season when