Unai Emery said he wants Arsenal to be among Europe’s elite once more when he appeared at his first news conference since being appointed as Arsene Wenger’s successor.
The 46-year-old was officially appointed on Wednesday before he, along with chief executive Ivan Gazidis, addressed a packed media room.
He said: “Success next season would be developing, but how? By battling for every title.
It’s very important for the club, after two years outside the Champions League, to work to be the best team in the Premier League and also in the world. That’s in Arsenal’s and my history.”
Arsenal failed to qualify for the Champions League in 2017 and won’t feature in the 2018-19 competition having previously been in every year since 1998.
Emery is meticulous, experienced, successful – and still a risk
Gazidis revealed that the Spaniard was on an eight-man shortlist for the job, but was the club’s main target.
“All eight took part in extensive interviews and none of them withdrew from the process,” said the chief executive, who added that the job was the most attractive in world football.
“We were in a fortunate position to name our first choice.
“Our first interview was on 25 April and our last was on the 15 May. A formal recommendation to the board was supported by a 100-page dossier with a great degree of background information.
“All of the board members were energised and enthused by our decision.”