Aston Villa manager Unai Emery signs new five-year contract

LONDON – Feeling at “home” and with big ambitions on his mind, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has signed a new five-year contract that will keep him at the club until 2029, the English Premier League side announced on May 27.

The Spaniard has been rewarded again – a month after he signed a three-year contract – for guiding his team to fourth place and a spot in next season’s Champions League. They also reached the Europa Conference League last four.

The 52-year-old has transformed Villa’s fortunes since arriving in October 2022, when they were just three points above the relegation zone.

“I am very happy to take this step (signing a new contract) and the responsibility of leading this club,” Emery said.

“Since I came to Villa, with (co-owner) Wes (Edens) and (chairman) Nassef (Sawiris) we found always the best environment and structure to develop a project with the highest ambition.

“There’s a great chemistry in Aston Villa and the element of the fans’ support also makes the difference to feel like home.

“We are really excited to continue this journey with no limits to our dreams.”

Sawiris added: “We are building something special here at Aston Villa with Unai at its core and we are delighted that he has signed a new deal with the club until 2029.

“As we move into our historic, 150th anniversary year, there is a lot to look forward to with Unai at the helm.”

Emery is a four-time Europa League winner following spells with Spanish clubs Sevilla and Villarreal. He lifted the Ligue 1 trophy at Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2017-18 season and also spent a year in charge of Arsenal from 2018-19.

He then steered Villa, the 1982 European Cup winners, to a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League in 2023 and has now overseen their return to European football’s elite club competition after an absence of more than 40 years.

Emery previously said it is his “dream” to win the Premier League and Champions League with Villa.

He wants his team, who beat title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal during the season that just concluded, to set their sights on the biggest prizes.

“When we were in the middle of the season, playing two matches at home against Manchester City and Arsenal and we won both, we were there,” said Emery, who saw his men clinch 1-0 victories in both games in December.

“Those teams are amazingly consistent and competitive, with very good players. They have the best coaches as well – Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola.

“I want to get better always. I have my dreams and I believe in my dreams.”

When asked what his biggest ambitions were, he added: “My objective is to win the Premier League, to win the Champions League, but it’s very, very difficult.

“Of course, we’re not contenders, but I want to dream with our supporters and the players and to believe always in our work.”
AFP, REUTERS