Arsenal manager Unai Emery has an amazing track record of winning the Europa League.
He won the competition three times in a row with Sevilla, defeating Benfica, FC Dnipro and Liverpool in three consecutive finals.
Whilst Emery was brought to Arsenal with the ultimate aim of winning the Premier League, that is not going to happen in his first season.
The Gunners will likely be in a battle for a top-four finish right until the end of the season, with Chelsea and Manchester United looking like they’ll be Arsenal’s main rivals for the fourth spot in the Premier League table.
With a top-four finish comes a place in the Champions League next season, and being in Europe’s best competition is a huge boost for any club.
Not only does the increased revenue help in terms of providing funds for signings, but the lure of playing in the Champions League can be a huge factor when looking to recruit players.
The Spaniard knows exactly how to navigate through the competition and most importantly, how to ensure that his side gets their hands on the famous trophy.
Emery used pretty much a second string team during the group stages and be might be able to get away with that, to an extent, in the Round of 32 tie against BATE, but from that point onwards, he might need to select a full-strength team.
There are some excellent sides playing in the Europa League knockout stages this season, but Arsenal have the beating of all of them in their day, which should give the manager the belief that he has a squad capable of helping him win a fourth Europa League trophy
Anyone looking to deploy a smart football betting strategy could look to back Emery to guide the Gunners to success in Baku in May 2019 as the rewards on offer make it very worth his while to have a real go at winning the competition.
Manchester United, under Jose Mourinho a few seasons ago, were unable to secure a top-four finish, but by winning the Europa League, they were able to qualify for the Champions League, which allowed them to splash the cash the following summer on the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic.
Arsenal won’t be in the market for a centre forward like Lukaku and they might not want a new midfielder either, but Emery is certain to bring in at least one new defender and in an era when the best centre-backs in the world are moving for upwards of £75m, then the revenue generated by qualifying for the Champions League will be required.
Furthermore, the market for central defenders could be very competitive in the summer as the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid are rumoured to be looking at the likes of Koulibaly, and if Arsenal want to stand any chance of luring players of a similar quality to the Emirates, then they’ll need to be able to offer them Champions League football.
Some people may turn their noses up at the Europa League but Emery knows the significance of winning it and we can expect Arsenal to be making a major push to do just that throughout the remainder of their campaign.
