Ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery gives fan the finger after commenting on his English and failed spell at Gunners

CHEEKY Unai Emery flicked the bird at football fans and gave him stick in a hilarious comeback.

The former Arsenal manager failed to please Gunners fans with a tough 18-month spell at the Emirates.

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As well as fighting on the pitch, the Spaniard was mercilessly berated by many for his knowledge of English.

However, he has proven himself well as a manager on both sides of his north London nightmare, winning the Europa League four times – including with Villarreal in 2021.

Fans lined up outside St Mary’s yesterday after the LaLiga side’s 2-1 friendly win over Southampton.

When they asked for autographs, one said, “Can you say, ‘Unai Emery, Gute Ebening’,” referring to the way he used to start press conferences.

Emery smiled politely and then one quipped, “Unai Emery, I think you did very well at Arsenal.”

And the former Real Sociedad midfielder, 50, reacted fantastically by giving the middle finger to the boys, who couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

To really rub it in, Emery waved the number right in their faces, stared at the camera, and nodded.

And fans on social media fully supported the Spaniard for his understandable reaction.

One said: “Good for him. He’s not your monkey to do a trick. No respect at all. I couldn’t imagine doing that to someone my age, let alone someone 20 years older than me.”

Another wrote: “Imagine taking the time to learn a language only to be ridiculed.”

A third added: “Nah I haven’t seen a middle finger taken with so much disregard in a long time.”

And a recent user commented, “Fair play to him disrespectful little fools.”

Villarreal finished seventh in LaLiga last season and enjoyed a wonderful run to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The Yellow Submarine beat Juventus and Bayern Munich before falling to Liverpool.

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However, Arsenal technical director Edu described the replacement of Emery by his compatriot Mikel Arteta as a major breakthrough in the club’s rise.

Edu told SunSport: “With all due respect, the project really started when we decided to change Unai.

“That was my first plan, going to the board and explaining the reason for going in a different direction. We needed a coach with a very clear plan and structure on how the team should play.

“We had to be really brave to change coaches in the middle of the season because a lot of people inside said to me, ‘We’ve never done that before.’

“But once you’ve determined that a change is necessary, the decision has to be made quickly. It hurts, but don’t put off something that needs to be done.

“Then I started interviewing trainers and as soon as I met Mikel at his house I could see that this guy had a plan.

“And now he will make life easier for the club because with him as manager I could give Arsenal a five-year plan.”

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