Premier League headlines as Unai Emery opens up on Newcastle United offer

Here are the latest Premier League headlines on Tuesday, April 5.

While Eddie Howe has done a brilliant job of transforming Newcastle United’s fortunes since replacing Steve Bruce, it is common knowledge that he wasn’t the club’s first choice. Unai Emery was one of the managers who topped the Magpies’ list but he rejected the club’s approach despite claiming that he ‘thought a lot’ about the prospect.

The Villarreal boss told The Athletic : “The Newcastle project is an attractive project, something to build, different to Arsenal. With Arsenal, you first had to knock down the walls, which is hard work, then start to build again.

Unai Emery breaks silence on 'attractive' Newcastle offer that was very different to Arsenal

“Newcastle no, it was just about building, from the ground up. So it is different, and I liked the idea. The Premier League is an attractive league for all us coaches. So when Newcastle called me, I thought a lot about the opportunity to return to England, to a serious project.

“For me, it was a source of pride, satisfaction and I appreciated it. The opportunity of a club like Newcastle, what it could turn out to be, it is normal for me to listen to the offer, to consider it.”

After many fans started to believe that Arsenal were nailed on to qualify for next season’s Champions League, their hopes of a top-four finish were dealt a massive below last night. The Gunners were taken apart in a 3-0 defeat against London rivals Crystal Palace and the absence of the injured Kieran Tierney was abundantly clear on the left-hand side of the defence.

Unfortunately for Mikel Arteta, he will have to continue coping without the Scotsman as he is due to have surgery in the near future which is likely to bring an early