Coke hopeful Sampaoli can exceed Emery at Sevilla

After leading the La Liga outfit to its third-straight Europa League title last season, Unai Emery is reportedly on the verge of taking charge at Ligue 1 champion Paris Saint-Germain.

Sevilla captain Coke with former coach Unai Emery.

Sevilla's three-time Europa League winning captain Coke says Jorge Sampaoli has a lot to live up to in replacing Unai Emery.

After leading the La Liga outfit to its third-straight Europa League title last season, Emery is reportedly on the verge of taking charge at Ligue 1 champion Paris Saint-Germain.

Chile's 2015 Copa America-winning coach Sampaoli is the man charged with continuing Sevilla's charge in Spain and Europe, and Coke says he hopes the Argentine can exceed Emery's achievements.

"[Emery] is obviously a major loss, but I think we got a coach, Sampaoli in this case, who is very prepared," he said. "Emery is a coach who has led us to achieve many titles and finals. Hopefully, Sampaoli can do it as well or better than him."

But Coke admitted that Emery's loss was a big one for him on a personal note.

"He is the coach who has given me more continuity and backed me in difficult times," he said. "He has been a very important figure on a personal level. He gave us a competitive gene and changed how we played many times until we found the key. That blessed key helped us win three European titles."