Arsenal news: Former Gunner, Santi Cazorla confident in Unai Emery

What's the story?

Former Arsenal star, Santi Cazorla, has backed Unai Emery to win trophies with the Gunners. The Spanish playmaker left the club at the end of last season after missing out on football for a long period of time following a horrific Achilles injury.

In case you didn't know...

It is Emery's first season in charge of the Gunners ever since Arsene Wenger left. Cazorla was one of the best creative midfielders Wenger had on his team in the latter part of his managerial career. He worked well with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, and Theo Walcott to make things click in the attack. Most notably, he formed a formidable partnership with Francis Coquelin and they helped the Gunners to a second-place finish in the 2015/16 season.

However, after an injury in October 2016, Cazorla struggled to recover from it. His play time was significantly reduced and ultimately, he left to join Villarreal.

The heart of the matter

Arsenal have missed out on the top-four finish for the last two seasons. Manchester City and Liverpool have massively improved with the Gunners still some miles away. However, Cazorla has high hopes for the current manager.

"It takes time to adapt to such a big change, changing the manager after 23 years and the new manager needs time to make changes.

"Arsenal have been steadily improving this season and have a good enough squad to be competitive and win trophies."

Arsenal remain in contention to win the Europa League trophy. Last season, they were dumped out of the competition by eventual winners, Atletico Madrid, in the semifinals. This time around, they face Napoli in the quarterfinals. Villarreal also remain in the competition and there is a chance Cazorla could face his old side.

What's next?

Arsenal currently sit fifth in the EPL table standings after Manchester United secured a 2-1 victory over Watford. The Gunners will face Newcastle United on Monday night. A victory would see them return to the top four.