Emery’s classy and respectful letter on leaving Arsenal (full transcript)

Although most Arsenal fans are happy to see us part company with Unai Emery at this time, we can only sit back and admire the professional and respectful way that he is leaving the club.

This parting open letter to club, management, players and fans shows that he has no animosity with the way he has been treated during his short tenure as coach of the Gunners.

Here is the letter in full as posted on Arsenal.com ….

It has been an honour to be the Arsenal head coach.

To all the fans, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for helping me to understand and feel the greatness of Arsenal. To all of you who have supported us from every corner of the globe, all of you who have come to the Emirates, all of you who have waited in the rain and cold just to greet me after a game. I want to tell all of you that I have worked with passion, with commitment and with effort.

I would have liked nothing more than to have achieved better results for you.

I also want to send a message of gratitude to all Arsenal employees for the way they have treated me. The greatness of Arsenal is in every director, executive, employee, assistant and volunteer.

In particular, I want to highlight Ivan Gazidis, who welcomed me to the club, and Raul Sanllehi, Edu and Vinai Venkatesham for their respect, companionship and help. Until the very last minute I have been treated with honour and honesty. And of course, I send my sincere gratitude to the Kroenke family, for their trust.

It has been a year and a half full of emotions, of great moments and some other more bitter ones, but not a single day has gone by without me stopping to think about how lucky I have been to work for this club with these players and their professional and personal qualities.

They have always honoured the shirt they wear. They deserve your support.

I had already experienced a lot in football, but I have enjoyed and learned a lot in England, in the Premier League, about respect for professionals and about the purity of football.

My best wishes always.

COYG

In away you have to feel sorry for the man who was given the huge task of not only following in the footprints of the great Arsene Wenger, but also given the task of improving on the Frenchman’s legacy.

It was a very tall order for a Spaniard, with no experience of England and the Premier League, to come in and turn things around and improve us in such a short space of time.

In the end, I think it was finally down to the communication problems he was having with his tactics and formations, whilst not speaking the language fluently.

But we have to admire him for trying his hardest, and last season we had high hopes that everything would work out.

Sadly it didn’t, but we can only wish him the best for the future….

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