The autumn of 1996 was a pivotal period in the lives of Arsenal's two most recent managers.
On Sunday, September 22 that year, Arsene Wenger was presented to the media at Highbury as Arsenal's new manager. That same day, 780 miles to the south, Unai Emery made his fourth league appearance for Toledo in a Spanish second-tier match at Salamanca.
It was not a match that Emery will recall fondly—he was substituted in the 36th minute of a 3-1 defeat—but his arrival at Toledo represented an important staging post in his career.
A technically accomplished but physically undynamic left-sided midfielder, Emery failed to find a regular spot in the lineup at his formative club, Real Sociedad, and joined Toledo in 1996 in search of more playing time.