Unai Emery sacked - LIVE updates as Arsenal dismiss manager following Eintracht Frankfurt loss

The Gunners have moved quickly after their Europa League defeat and put Freddie Ljungberg in charge

Arsenal have sacked Unai Emery after the home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.

The Gunners decided that the change had to be made "due to results and performances not being at the level required".

Freddie Ljungberg is now in charge on an interim basis - but who will Arsenal pursue now to take the job long-term?

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2019-11-29T10:25:01.370Z
Emery was in charge of the Gunners for 18 months, and led them to a fifth-placed finish in his 2018-19 with 70 points, narrowly missing out on qualification for the Champions League. That marked a small improvement on Arsene Wenger's final campaign as manager, when the club finished sixth in the league with 63 points, and seemed to indicate some progress, but a sluggish start to the current season has left Arsenal eighth and without a league win since beating Bournemouth 1-0 on 8 October. 

• Lawrence Ostlere
• 29 November 2019 10:25

2019-11-29T10:18:38.350Z
Arsenal have sacked Unai Emery as manager. Our story:
 

Arsenal have sacked Unai Emery

• Lawrence Ostlere
• 29 November 2019 10:18

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“Our most sincere thanks go to Unai and his colleagues who were unrelenting in their efforts to get the club back to competing at the level we all expect and demand,” Josh Kroenke said in a statement published on the Arsenal website.

“We wish Unai and his team nothing but future success.”

Arsenal have made a disappointing start to the current campaign and are 8th in the Premier League.

On Thursday night they lost 2-1 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League, with the club enduring their longest winless run since February 1992.

At full-time the Spaniard was jeered by the sparse Emirates crowd, with some supporters holding ‘Emery Out’ posters.

“Now our moment is not good,” Emery said after the defeat. “I can understand the criticism about the team and about me. We are not in a good moment.”

Emery joined Arsenal in May 2018 having left Paris Saint-Germain after guiding them to the Ligue 1 title. He replaced Arsene Wenger, who departed after 22-years in charge of the north London club.

Arsenal reached the Europa League final in his first season in charge – losing 4-1 to London rivals Chelsea – but missed out on a place in the top four.