Arsenal veteran Arsene Wenger has said that Unai Emery was not given enough time to establish himself as the club's manager.
Emery took over the Emirates Stadium dugout from Wenger in 2018 and led Arsenal to the Europa League final in his first season. However, they were blasted 4-1 by rivals Chelsea in that game, squandering a chance to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
After being fired midway through his second season, the Spaniard was replaced by Mikel Arteta.
After his Villarreal side knocked out Arsenal on their path to Europa League triumph last season, Emery returned to haunt the north Londoners.
Wenger claims that his old team, Villarreal, were too quick to remove Emery after Villarreal's Champions League semi-final defeat against Liverpool.
"They didn't give him enough time, but there is a lot to talk about. For example, is it right that a team who is not successful in the group stages can play in the Europa League," Wenger said.
"For the last 10 years, the teams who are not successful in the Champions League go on to win the UEFA Cup. So, he has transformed a non-successful team into a successful one with Sevilla.
"It was more to give an importance to the trophy than to the sporting integrity. I think Unai Emery is a great coach, he has shown it in Spain and he is constantly at the top level."