The former PSG and Sevilla manager was part of an eight-man shortlist drawn up by former Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis and eventually won the race to replace Arsene Wenger, after impressing the Gunners hierarchy during the interview process.
But Emery admits he thought his limited ability to speak English would go against him when discussing his ideas with Gazidis.
“In the past, teams had already approached me with their decision made: Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla, Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Almeria… I wasn’t used to being another candidate and putting my arguments across.
“I prepared for the meeting with my staff. I went into it with the doubts about my English, but they always said that this wouldn’t be a problem.
“And I spoke to them very naturally that day,” he told Marca.
Asked if he spoke to Wenger before taking over, Emery said: “Not about the team. I ran into him once and not many more times.
“I respect him a lot, but no matter how much information he gave me, I had to change things.
“I told the players ‘we are starting at ground zero’.
“Even now, four months later, I still say ‘we are just at the beginning!”
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