Arsenal announced on Tuesday the arrival of Spanish coach Unai Emery as a replacement for Arsene Wenger, who left the club last week after 22 years.
Emery, 46, said he is "very excited" to be able to "start a new chapter in Arsenal's history."
"I'm delighted to come to one of the best clubs in the world. Arsenal is loved and admired all over the world for its style of play, its commitment to young players, and its top-notch stadium," said the former coach of Paris Saint-Germain.
"I'm tremendously excited to have been given the responsibility to start a new chapter in Arsenal's history and I'm eager to bring joy to all those who love this club," he added.
Unai Emery, who has the difficult task of replacing the legendary Arsene Wenger on the Gunners' bench, was, according to Arsenal's CEO, the "unanimous" choice of the board of directors.
"Unai has an excellent resume; he has developed some of the most talented young players in Europe and plays an exciting football that fits perfectly with what Arsenal wants," said Ivan Gazidis, CEO of the North London club.
The former Sevilla coach - who guided the Andalusian team to three consecutive Europa League victories - was not one of the favorites for the position, and it was rumored that the chosen one would be the Spaniard Mikel Arteta, a former Arsenal player and current assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, or the Italian Massimiliano Allegri, coach of Juventus.
Other names that were strongly linked to a move to the Emirates Stadium were the club's two legends, Frenchmen Patrick Vieira, coach of New York City FC, and Thierry Henry, who works as an assistant to Roberto Martinez in the Belgium national team and as a commentator on British television. (EFE)