Newcastle genuinely thought they were appointing Unai Emery in 2021

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The Newcastle United owners had a decision to make in late 2021 – Eddie Howe or Unai Emery.

They were the two candidates competing to replace Steve Bruce as Newcastle manager, as Amanda Staveley and co prepared to make their first major appointment since buying the club from Mike Ashley.

After a lengthy search that saw rumours surrounding Paulo Fonseca, Lucien Favre and Frank Lampard, the race came down to two men.

Reports stated that it was down to a choice between Emery and Howe, but it was the experienced Spaniard who was the top choice.

Newcastle tried to bring him to St James’ Park, the move collapsed, and the Toon owners suddenly had egg on their face. They were criticised massively, and had to go back to Howe with their tails between their legs.

Luckily, it was a misstep that turned out for the better. Howe has galvanised the club in a way that not many will have anticipated. But now the Athletic have shared details on just how close Emery was to becoming Newcastle United manager instead of Howe.

Newcastle owners thought they were appointing Unai Emery

According to the Athletic, the Newcastle owners believed that Emery was going to be their first managerial appointment following the takeover. The report adds that some club officials even believed that the deal was done for him to replace Bruce at St James’ Park.

It was reported in the media that a move was on the cards, which made the u-turn even more embarrassing for the Magpies.

However, the Athletic add that it was not Newcastle who leaked news of Emery’s potential arrival to the media – although they did not deny it once rumours surfaced.

The club reportedly saw Emery as someone similar to Rafa Benitez, despite Howe impressing them more during the interview process.

In the end, the former Arsenal boss said no, and Newcastle had to turn to Howe – which has proven to be a huge stroke of good fortune.

Now the Magpies will meet Emery, who replaced Steven Gerrard as Villa boss last year. Just like Howe at Newcastle, the 51-year-old has orchestrated an incredible revival at Villa Park, guiding them up to sixth in the league.

They are in incredible form, and will provide a massive test for the Magpies on Saturday. It is going to be an incredibly difficult game, with an interesting subplot of Emery calling the shots for the opposition.