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Emery kills off Newcastle talk by confirming Villarreal stay
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Matthew Hill
LiveScore
Villarreal boss Unai Emery is staying put
Villarreal boss Unai Emery is staying put

Unai Emery has confirmed he will remain in charge of Villarreal — dashing Newcastle's hopes of making him their next manager. 

The Spaniard, who turned 50 today, was thought to be the preferred choice of the Toon's new owners to succeed Steve Bruce, who left St James' Park last month. 

But after guiding the Yellow Submarine to a 2-0 victory over Young Boys in the Champions League last night, he has confirmed his desire to remain with the LaLiga club. 

Emery said: "For all the noise there was yesterday in another country, inside the club there was transparency and loyalty with the Roig family and with my squad, which is at its maximum and for me is the most important thing.

"Villarreal is my home and I am 100% committed. Honestly, I am grateful for the interest of a great club, but even more grateful to be here.

"That is why I communicated to [owner and president] Fernando Roig my decision to continue being part of this project, thanks to the commitment and respect that I feel from the club and my players, which is mutual and reciprocal.

"I want to thank the fans for the support they have given me. 

"We have a very important game [against Getafe] on Sunday and I hope we get the victory together. See you at the Estadio de la Ceramica."

Steve Bruce's unhappy reign as Newcastle boss came to an end last month
Steve Bruce's unhappy reign as Newcastle boss came to an end last month

Emery joins a increasing list of managers to distance themselves from the vacancy on Tyneside, with the nouveau riche Magpies currently facing the more immediate threat of a Premier League relegation battle.

Paulo Fonseca, Lucien Favre and Roberto Martinez have been strongly linked with the position but the Magpies have yet to make a successful approach. 

Graeme Jones was placed in temporary charge following Bruce's departure. 

Toon picked up a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace under his leadership before table-topping Chelsea dished out a 3-0 defeat at St James' Park last weekend. 

And with Newcastle rooted firmly in the bottom three, Saturday's trip to eighth-placed Brighton has become somewhat of a must-win encounter. 

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