And the five-man selection committee that identified Emery as Wenger’s natural successor are convinced they made the perfect appointment.
The Spanish head coach has stunned the club’s hierarchy with his enthusiasm, dedication and complete commitment.
Emery’s new-look Gunners have gone 16 games unbeaten in all competitions — marching into the last 32 of the Europa League and quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
And senior figures are particularly impressed by Emery’s infectious work ethic and hunger for success.
This is typified by his insistence on watching replays of Arsenal’s Europa League ties on long flights back from Eastern Europe when everyone else is getting some shut-eye.
His attention to detail is another major plus in the credit column.
From a canny eye in the transfer market that has seen the club land Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira, to banning sugary fruit juice and energy drinks at the training ground – the new boss is across it.
Raul Sanllehi, the Gunners head of football, is still coming to terms with the scale of the transformation undertaken by Emery.
He said: “The feedback I got from people who had worked with Unai in the past was incredible. I did not find one element of criticism.
“I talked with a lot of people who had interacted with him — including players, chairmen and technical directors. And everything they told me was positive.
“It was very reassuring to have people of trust, that I know very well, speaking so highly of him.
“It was very difficult to replace Arsene Wenger after everything he had achieved for Arsenal and we knew it would be a big, big change.
“It started with a big brainstorm and I think that we initially came up with 50 names.
“It was a very thorough process. We analysed all the possible candidates and gradually cut the list shorter and shorter.
“Then we defined the main dimensions we were looking for because there are many, many good coaches out there. But some are stronger in certain areas than others.
“One of the main characteristics was the tactical part. We wanted someone who would play football the way we wanted.”
Former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery, 47, has already proved his tactical acumen, making changes that have dragged Arsenal back into matches.
The players are also working harder than under Frenchman Wenger — running on average an extra 2km per match.
Training is more intense and many players have spoken of the attention to the finer details of positioning, in and out of possession, that Emery is drilling into them.
Midfielder Granit Xhaka, for example, has said he already feels a far better player under his new Spanish boss.
And Sanllehi added: “We wanted leadership, a team player and someone with a proven record for developing youth talent.
“So then we were down to a very short list. We had very in-depth meetings with them all and asked them to present their projects of how they saw Arsenal in the future.
“They were all very impressive. There was no one in that final list who we thought, ‘He’s not at the highest level — what’s he doing here?’
“Those meetings were initially held with myself, Ivan Gazidis and Sven Mislintat.
“But in the final process we also included contract negotiator Huss Fahmy and Jaeson Rosenfeld from StatDNA just to cover the whole thing.
“So there was a team of five of us deciding on this. And we unanimously agreed at the first round that Unai Emery was the person that ideally would include all the dimensions we wanted to lead this new project.
“Of course, the Kroenkes had to give the OK but our recommendation to the board was immediately accepted and we are very happy with this decision.
“The feeling we all have from talking with the players and supporters, from seeing the atmosphere created at London Colney and the Emirates, is that we made a very good choice.”
Sanllehi’s enthusiasm is clearly shared by Vinai Venkatesham, who was promoted to managing director following chief executive Gazidis’ shock exit to join AC Milan.
Venkatesham explained: “Unai’s energy and work ethic is absolutely extraordinary. He is always on it.
“When you’re on a long flight home from Eastern Europe after a Europa League game and everyone is trying to get a bit of sleep, he’s already watching the game and analysing it.
“His enthusiasm is infectious and that is crucial because this is probably the most competitive environment we’ve ever had in the Premier League.
“That means we have to be right at the top of our game to be successful.
“We need to squeeze every single bit of talent we can from our squad. And we think with Unai, we have the right coach to get the absolute maximum from the players we have.
“But we also need to make smart decisions around player signings.
“It’s still early days but players like Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi look as though they can be a big part of our future.”
Under Wenger, the manager had the final say on all transfers. But now Sanllehi and head of recruitment Mislintat have just as much input as Emery on the buying and selling.
Sanllehi explained: “Unai plays an active part. We work as a team and he is definitely part of the decision-making process.
“But he’s not a manager — he’s a head coach.
“His main responsibility is the first team and he needs to analyse our strengths and weaknesses and see how to improve the players.
“Every decision we take at this club is very thoroughly thought through, analysed and discussed by different people.
“We’re very responsible for every decision, so don’t take them lightly.
“We have great professionals here and our ultimate aim is to find what is best for the club.”
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