Unai Emery — Manager stats & performance

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Manager dossier

Unai Emery

Aston Villa· Premier League · Spain flag Spain · Age 54

Employed4-4-2Tactical FlexibilityPremier League hub →

GafferScore

88/ 100

Elite

97th percentile of covered managers

High confidenceUpdated this week

Career snapshot

PermanentVerified 17 AUG 2026 · MEDIUM

Age

54

3 NOV 1971

Appointed

1 NOV 2022

Tenure

3Y 11M

3 years, 11 months

Contractⓘ

Until Jun 2029

Contract confirmed

Senior managerial experienceⓘ

21 years

Since 21 DEC 2004

In coaching

21 years

Includes academy & assistant roles

Current role

Head Coach

Current base shape

4-4-2

Appointed

01 Nov 2022

Contract expiry

30 Jun 2029

Senior managerial experience

21 years

Date of birth

03 Nov 1971

Place of birth

Hondarribia

Tactical identity

Tactical Flexibility

Provisional data

Season: 2026/27Competition: Premier LeagueUpdated: Updated this weekSource: GafferLens editorial review

Premier League category ranks

Prototype dataset

Aston Villa

Current Club — All Competitions

Matches

198

Wins

109

Draws

34

Losses

55

Win %

55.1%

GF 336 · GA 253 · GD 83 · 2022-11-06 → 2026-08-23

Aston Villa

Current Club — League

Matches

140

Wins

73

Draws

29

Losses

38

Win %

52.1%

GF 230 · GA 191 · GD 39 · 2022-11-06 → 2026-08-23

Aston Villa

Current Season — League

Matches

1

Wins

0

Draws

0

Losses

1

Win %

0%

Aston Villa

Current Club Form

WWWLL

5 competitive matches in current spell

WAston Villav Liverpool · 4-2Premier League · 2026-05-15
WAston Villav SC Freiburg · 3-0UEFA Europa League · 2026-05-20
WAston Villav Manchester City · 2-1Premier League · 2026-05-24
LAston Villav Paris Saint Germain · 1-2UEFA Super Cup · 2026-08-12
LAston Villav Brighton & Hove Albion · 0-4Premier League · 2026-08-23

Manager Last 5

WWWLL

Five most recent verified competitive senior matches

WAston Villav Liverpool · 4-2Premier League · 2026-05-15
WAston Villav SC Freiburg · 3-0UEFA Europa League · 2026-05-20
WAston Villav Manchester City · 2-1Premier League · 2026-05-24
LAston Villav Paris Saint Germain · 1-2UEFA Super Cup · 2026-08-12
LAston Villav Brighton & Hove Albion · 0-4Premier League · 2026-08-23

Each result stays attributed to the club managed at the time; previous-club matches are never presented as current-club results.

Source: api_football. Dataset MATCH_CANONICAL_V1_PRE_PRODUCTION. Verified fixtures → match records → manager assignments → approved canonical layer.

Career record

Prototype dataset

Matches

742

Wins

401

Draws

155

Losses

186

Win %

54%

Points / game

1.83

Goals / game

1.86

Conceded / game

1.11

Clean sheet %

38%

Home record

225W 78D 78L

Away record

176W 77D 108L

Win / draw / loss distribution

Strengths

Prototype dataset

Opponent preparation
Bespoke game plans built around specific opponent weaknesses.
Offside trap
Coordinated line management that compresses the pitch.
Cup football
Strong record in two-legged and knockout formats.

Considerations

Prototype dataset

Line risk
The trap concedes clear chances when timing slips.
Squad churn
Model demands very specific profiles in wide areas.
Possession control
Less dominant in sustained territorial phases.

News & analysis

Latest on Unai Emery

All news →

Manager Fit

Manager Fit: what profile actually suits a possession-heavy squad?

Speculation is easy. GafferLens Manager Fit asks a narrower question: which tactical profiles match the squad that already exists?

16 August 20266 min read

UE

vs

RD

GafferLens original graphic

Methodology & data freshness

GafferScore 0.4 (provisional editorial) · tactical model 0.3 (prototype model) · rankings updated 2026-08-17. Form window: Last 10 competitive matches, recency weighted.

Updated this week · Confidence HIGH · Source: GafferLens editorial review

Image credits

Visual: GafferLens generic Aston Villa shirt — an original unbranded illustration using traditional club colours. No licensed photograph verified for Unai Emery (status: PLACEHOLDER).

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