Unai Emery has revealed he was interviewed by Everton for their vacant coaching role but he ideally wants to return to manage a club in Spain.
The Spaniard was dismissed as Arsenal boss on November 29 and became a contender for the Toffees job when Marco Silva was sacked a week later.
Emery said Everton had been keen on him as an option for a long period of time and they sought out discussions about him taking over at Goodison Park.
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But ultimately the Merseyside club chose Italian tactician Carlo Ancelotti and Emery hopes he can find a new job in his native Spain.
“Everton was interested in me and I thought about it. I didn’t say no, we also had a three-hour interview,” Emery said in an interview with SE12. “They already liked me when I went to Paris Saint-Germain.
“I want this to be a pause for reflection. My first idea is to stay in Madrid and then go to Valencia and London. I’d like to visit my relatives in San Sebastian.
“I have several teams interested in me, but I have not received offers to return to coach. I would love to go back to work in Spain but I do not exclude anything.”
Emery enjoyed his most fruitful spell as a manager in Spain while in charge of Sevilla between 2013-16, winning three consecutive Europa League titles.
He has also managed Valencia, Almeria and Lorca Deportivo in his native country.
Following his heroics with Sevilla, Emery earned a move to PSG in 2016 where he won a league title and four cups across two seasons but never really looked settled in the French capital.
He announced his departure from Ligue 1 in the summer of 2018 and was appointed Arsene Wenger’s successor at Arsenal a short time later.
Emery started well at the Emirates, going 14 league games without a defeat early in the season, but the situation deteriorated gradually over the next 12 months until his dismissal.
After a period of interim with Freddie Ljungberg in charge, Emery was eventually succeeded by former Gunners skipper Mikel Arteta.
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