Aston Villa confirm backroom staff changes as Unai Emery takes charge
Aston Villa announced changes to the first-team backroom staff as new manager Unai Emery took charge this week.
According to the club’s website, Pako Ayestaran and Pablo Villanueva join the club as assistant head coach and first team coach, respectively, and Francisco Javier Garcia will serve as goalkeeping coach.
Garcia served on Emery’s staff at Villareal while Ayestaran most recently coached C.D. Tondela in Portugal from 2020 to 2022. Villanueva worked with Emery at Sevilla, PSG, and Arsenal.
Aston Villa is delighted to announce a number of appointments to Head Coach @UnaiEmery_'s backroom team.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 4, 2022
Antonio Rodríguez Saravia (individual performance coach), Moises de Hoyo (strength and conditioning coach), and Victor Manuel Manas (data/video analyst) round out Emery’s new staff.
The club announced earlier in the week that goalkeeping coach Neil Cutler left his post at the club. A fan favorite, Cutler joined the Villa setup in 2018 and, according to first-choice stopper Emi Martinez, is the “Best English [goalkeeping] coach by miles.”
Caretaker manager Aaron Danks left “the first-team set-up and is considering a new role within the club,” according to the same release on the club’s website.
Set-piece coach Austin MacPhee retains his place on the coaching staff. He served under both Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard at Villa.
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