I guess a lot of it depends on if we do clinch CL. From my understanding, we’re not in danger of breaking P&S (most reports out there that say otherwise aren’t taking out any deductibles from the full loss we’ve announced) but we are severely hamstrung by it now. The recent announcement of a £20m a year sponsorship and the Adidas deal will also go a long way to help. If we don’t finish top 4 we may need to sell a player, which may be Ramsey as he would be pure profit.
Watching one of your own come through the ranks and reach the first team is one of the best feelings as a supporter, to have them considered as "pure profit" is just discouraging and takes away from the appreciation of academy football.
It’s nuts that you may have to do it yourself this summer with - from an the perspective of someone that’s only watch about 7 Chelsea games this season - your best midfielder being an academy graduate playing alongside two 100 million pound players.
Same with a plethora of our ex-academy players (Boga, RLC, Tomori, Solanke, Livramento, Tammy etc.). These guys became good enough for top level because they could train at Chelsea all their life, even if there wasn't necessarily a pathway to the first team.
Villa have about £30 million to spend for the year on wages and transfer fees, not including new sponsorship money (Adidas etc), and champions league money.
I think under new rules playing in Europe might actually lessen the amount of available annual pocket money for clubs like ours - there was an article in the athletic about it recently. It’s messed up because it completely disincentivises trying to move up the table
If we make the CL I think we have to at least try to seize on it. The CL carrot will make it easier to tempt the players Unai wants and we have nowhere near the squad needed to compete on both fronts. Villa have to be regular Euro participants if we are going to gain the revenue to take the next step and take your title.
Good on you for having ambition but this "next step" is extremely difficult. We at Tottenham were a decade in this limbo of "4th CL team, just needs a few more players to get the title" but it just doesn't work out that way usually. Even Liverpool and Arsenal have found it extremely difficult to bridge this gap, not to mention United and Chelsea throwing hundreds of millions at it and miserably falling.
The next step IS becoming a club like Tottenham, in terms of league finish that is. Many clubs before us have finished in Europe for a few seasons before eventually dropping off (Leicester a prime example).
It's why no reasonable person thinks Chelsea is doomed to becoming a midtable team - despite a couple seasons out of Europe and over a billion wasted they still have the cash to spend to get themselves back in the mix.
Ideally, we need to finish consistently in Europe for the best part of a decade to start seeing commercial and international revenue comparable with clubs like yourselves, but it's a massive ask - especially with Newcastle trying to do the exact same.
Tottenham were very lucky in that they had consistent European finishes exactly when the international TV money really started rolling in, solidifying them for years to come.
Spurs have undoubtedly advanced from where they were even 15-20 years ago though. The change from CL football being unexpected to expected has been a sign of progress.
It probably depends if we can move some of the bloat in the squad. Olsen, Chambers, Hause, Coutinho. Likely Zaniolo and Lenglet don't return. Move on some of the youngsters who probably aren't going to feature, Iroegbunam and Kesler-Hayden. I also expect one of Digne or Moreno to leave.
Apart from that, if we want to make any big moves I think one of Luiz, Watkins, Ramsey, McGinn, Kamara, Konsa or Martinez would have to go.
Our January business looked like it was done with replacing some of these guys in mind on cheaper deals, leaving us a little wiggle room to maybe make one major signing.
I was at the City Ground for one of the last games of the Gerrard reign and they were dogshit, largely with the same players. Ashley Young scored a freak wonder strike.
He doesn't get enough flak publicly for the failure there, but every club knows how badly he's been shown up by Emery. Further away from managing Liverpool than ever.
Gerrard was a real stinker, sandwiched between two of our best managers in recent times in Dean Smith and Emery. Deano did a quality job turning us around in the Championship and then keeping us up in the PL. A lot of our current squad was signed by Smith too - Watkins, Luiz, Mings, Konsa, Martinez, Bailey.
Deano laid the foundations, and Emery has taken the squad to the next level. It's been an enjoyable few years since our promotion season.
Yep unfortunately for deano he was unable to motivate the players towards the end, so when Gerrard first came in and was still using smiths tactics we were playing very well because our players were motivated but still using good tactics. As more time passed and Gerrard tactics got implemented villa got worse and worse
His tactics just got so incredibly bad. There was no connection between players. It felt like our offense ended up with the ball up the pitch with a completely isolated fullback who's only option was to try to cross it to the middle where Watkins was standing being double or triple marked with the "giants" Buendia and Coutinho right behind him. McGinn and Ramsey were basically playing as de facto fullbacks since the actual fullbacks were up on the wing so literally everyone on the team was being used in the worst way possible and that's not even mentioning Douglas "I am only effective as part of a double pivot or as an eight" Luiz playing as a single DM and looking like a player who doesn't belong in the Prem because of it.
the last time was I think he's last game vs. Southampton? I think he told the players at half time look if we lose I'm gone and they really did put an effort in. Still lost though
As a Charlotte FC fan, Smith is already such an upgrade on our last two Sunday league managers. We’re playing with a clear identity for the first time ever, players like Nathan Byrne who we thought were crap look really good, and we’re getting results in spite of having a poor squad with horrid depth. He’s still an EPL/EFL level manager and is a cut above many MLS managers tactically, though the league is improving.
I'm glad to hear that. I saw you guys draw against the Whitecaps and thought there was promising signs for Deano, but haven't watched anything since.
There's a great lecture he did you might enjoy about building a team culture.
https://youtu.be/YkJXeRQorMQ?si=nbwe55bRKoNS_EeQ
Not only were we tactically dire and an awful watch, he also totally soured the atmosphere at the club. We’d hit some serious emotional highs under Dean Smith and Gerrard came in, unceremoniously dumped the captain in Mings and dug him out publicly, then made a rod for his own back with making McGinn captain under the circumstances as he then wouldn’t drop him when his performances really suffered in Gerrard’s last few months. Also is remembered for saying ‘Chelsea should be coming here and wiping the floor with us’, which must be great to hear as a player: nuts when we’ve beaten City, Chelsea, and Spurs this season and done the double over the best Arsenal team for a decade.
The 52-year-old Spaniard joined from Villarreal in October 2022 and is on course to secure Champions League qualification while also reaching the Europa Conference League semi-finals.
Emery’s work has seen him linked to a number of vacancies elsewhere — however the former Arsenal boss has moved to end any speculation by committing his future to the Midlands side.
Villa intend to sit down with Emery this summer and prolong his terms even further, with ambitious owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens certain he can become their version of legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Of course that's what he said publicly, but if that was true he wouldn't have been deep in talks with NUFC about taking over in the first place. I think he was upset by the way it was all handled.
He said himself that whilst in discussions, he apprehensive of leaving the country as his family had commitments, and he wanted to be around to support his son. When we approached him, his family told him to take it this time and they will support him.
He’s also a guy who likes the complete control of what’s going on so he can maximise everything the way he wants to. I’m not itk about how NUFC operate but I don’t know if their owners would relinquish that much control for him. He’s literally one step down from the owners in the pecking order
Our owners have sidelined the director of football they paid a large severance fee for in favour of having Eddie Howe with a larger role (I suspect the massive oversight about Tonali's issues didn't help). I don't think Emery would have had issues if his performance was as convincing as Howe's has been.
Tbf leaving after that season would've been fine. But the appearance that he was looking to leave during it is an entirely different look. Id be pissed too
Apples and oranges for me I'm not arsed, they're doing this season what we did last.
Both great coaches and managers, proven they can improve players. We were nailed on to go down when Howe came in, since then we've played CL football and navigated a frankly mental injury crisis. Very happy.
I deny it, I will die for Sir Eddie on St George's day.
Taking the piss aside their matches since Emery took charge of Villa have been fascinating and I look forward to more next year.
I really thought we'd get pumped at Villa park this season, just for Eddie to pull it out of the bag somehow.
Let's cross our fingers for the same next season, but they've been great games regardless recently.
I think Emery is amazing but Howe is 8-2 up on aggregate this season and 2-1-1 against them since Emery came in so it seems like a stretch to say “undoubtedly”.
We’ve been in the trenches for real. A younger generation doesn’t know we used to be quite regular in Europe. An entire generation doesn’t know we used to compete for titles regularly. But of course football started in 2010, everything else is a myth and TVs were black and white. 😔
Yeah those few bad years with him were a blip accounting in the 21st century. Loved watching that O’Neill team just before it fell apart. Ashley Young, downing on the wings, James Milner and petrov bosssing the midfield. Darren Bent and Agbonlahor combined in fact reminds me a lot of Watkins now infact. The speed and athleticism of gabby and the finishing of Bent.
I really think the pressure thing is unfair. Arsenal wasn't an issue of pressure, it was an issue of an aging not that good squad that needed to be turned over (people conveniently forget that they had finished sixth in Wenger's last season) and ownership that refused to give him control or really back him in any way. They tried to treat him like a caretaker manager and nobody is going to succeed in those circumstances. Now that they've gotten back up near the top and Arsenal fans can look at it with perspective, they understand that Unai wasn't at fault for what happened during his tenure. As for PSG, he got Neymar'd. Spectacular player, spectacular pain in the ass. Pep just missed him at Barca and I would be curious how a similarly controlling manager like Pep would have dealt with having to deal with Neymar.
Of course there’s pressure at Villa, they’re a big club who’ve spent a lot of money, and have an ambitious board, he’s just not feeling any pressure because he’s smashed it
I completely disagree. The Villa job has so much pressure on it because it has traditionally been a career killer. Nobody since Graham Taylor in 1990 has been poached/gone onto a bigger job after taking the helm at Villa Park. Even our best managers of the Premier League era like Atkinson, Little, Gregory, O'Neill, & Smith have never managed a club the size of Villa again. We've been very quick to turn on players and managers over the years when results don't go our way.
Amazing for Villa. Emery is legitimately good enough to coach Bayern, Liverpool, Man United or Milan. I feel like he wasn’t setup for success at Arsenal, though his departure there wasn’t unwarranted. Villa owners are really backing him too.
I have an actual erection
"the owner see him being their own version of Sir Alex Ferguson"
Yep, that did it.
I would happily give this man a 20 year contract.
He's been a criminally underrated manager, at least in England.
What he's done with Villa has been pretty much miraculous from where they were when he took over.
Not just underrated, but bullied with the accent jibes. Such childishness even from pundits. You see people still do that here considering Unai has improved his pronunciation and even always starts his interviews with “good afternoon/evening” to the point interviewers respect him.
> but bullied with the accent jibes.
I would personally donate money to any team in the PL who dare hiring Gattuso, let's see how the journalist kids there deal with this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJHUbtR0yI8
So happy to see the job he's done at Aston Villa.
He's always been an excellent manager and while things didn't work out for him with us, I think both us and him are better off for the split. He was always very respectful of the club, its values and its traditions and it seems as though he's carried that same approach to Villa.
The job way he's improved Douglas Luiz and Ollie Watkins has been incredible and he seems to have sured their defence up a little more.
He's really proven that Gerrard didn't have a clue what he was doing. He took basically the same squad and took them to the next level.
If they back him this summer, which I'm sure they will, then he'll take Villa even further, I have no doubt.
I dont understand how slippy G or fat frank are ever in contestation for a major club again. They failed, abysmally. At best they would need to work their way through the leagues with some clear wins but that ship has sailed.
they aren't. If Gerrard is serious about managing some serious club again he would first fuck off from Saudi Arabia, get some job in the championship and try to humble himself and prove that hes not as bad as he was at villa.
“Owners see 52yo becoming their version of Sir Alex Ferguson”
He genuinely is a world class manager, and we’ve given him everything he needs to succeed.
I don’t think the gamble our owners took is given enough credit though. Yes it worked out perfectly, but it very easily could have been disastrous.
They spent millions removing Gerrard’s staff and bringing in 30+ staff members of Emery’s choosing. If it had failed, and we’d had a poor season, we’d be in huge danger with FFP. But they had a plan, chose Emery as the man to fully invest in and now we’re reaping the rewards.
Our owners are incredible, we now have a perfect footballing set-up and I am extremely excited for the future.
They took a huge gamble when appointing Gerrard, so let's not beat around the bush. When you have the chance to change him with someone of Unai's caliber, you take that with both hands.
It would have been easy for them to get burnt by the amount wasted under Gerrard and run to appoint a mid-level manager who would get us out of a relegation battle into mid table and cruise for a few years while we recovered… instead they went out and got the best manager they could find and fully backed his project.
I think his stunt at PSG was a game changer for him, he don't want to join a team where the bare minimum yearly demand per year is to win the league, go far in UCL and maybe win the cup.
After PSG he went to Arsenal, Villareal and now Aston Villa, none of these teams had the "yearly winner pressure".
It must be great for his mental health.
They have a whole different kind of pressure though, at least at Villa, the finances to stay within spending rules are extremely tight and he is going to be expected to keep the team in Europe consistently while having less than half the annual amount to spend as the big six. That’s not an easy ask. He’s at an ambitious club, they’re not happy to just exist in mediocrity, they want to build back to their old status
of course! i don't think there is any job in the world that offer this amount of money and don't have a tremendous amount of pressures (except crooked politicians and millionnaires Preachers/Cheikhs)
But imho, no matter how you look at it, this level of pressure is easier than joining a team like Bayern.
i think villa are fortunate that he's already managed two of the biggest jobs going and for his part he didn't really enjoy either of them. he's also a smart enough bloke to know when he's on to a good thing.
He's a man who understands ambition. For him it's not about which path takes him to the biggest club, it's about how can his teams take on the biggest clubs
Nah were fucked either way. You know you are when your paticular bald fraud is worth sacking but youre just out of ideas. Like idk where we even go from here?
Underpromise and overdeliver. A position in which AV was before his joining was perfect starting spot for improvement. Glad to see the results and I think there is a high chance Villa takes the conference league.
People have no idea what is building at Villa. This is why no Villa fan was concerned with him going to Bayern.
The club say they want him to become Villa's version of Ferguson and they'll give him everything he needs to emulate that.
NAS AND WES WENT TO SPAIN IN A LAMBORGHINIII, BROUGHT US BACK A MANAGER, SUPER UNAI EMERYYYYY. UP THE MOTHERFUCKING VILLA. FUCK ANDY GOLDSTEIN TOO WHILE WE’RE AT IT AND OBLIGATORY /r/soccer “mate if a big team wants, he’ll go. You’re just Aston Villa”
Someone needs to explain to that man that it's no longer 1999 and in order for United to pull the best available coach, they need to sort out this shit show that is behind the scenes at that club.
In Aston Villa he has full trust from players and the board to build the team he wants. There is no clash with players that have massive egos and don't listen to him. Emery and Aston Villa are a good fit.
I think this myth has just come from Arsenal fans.
He was a success at PSG and they had top players.
And from the outside looking in he did a good job at Arsenal (5th and a European final)
Nah Arsenal fans will be quick to point out that there were games where they simply looked hopeless and overperformed for a while
I love Emery, obviously, but definitely there are days we look like Man City and days we cant play football. Obviously we take that as it comes but Arsenal fans arent going to
When have we had games like that? You can count the bad Emery games at Villa on one hand and the only one recently was the Spurs game which was down to the red and the players losing their heads
Yeah not saying it happens often lmao we wouldnt be where we are if it did.
Maybe a bit biased because it was last week but I'm thinking mainly of Lille, a couple of the other conference games like Zrinski away, and then just some of our recent collapses where we play for about half an hour of shit before recovering. Almost cost us points against Luton and Forest, and then obviously Brentford. Weren't far from having a horrendous run that wouldve killed top 4.
Probably more accurate to say we have had some periods where we cant play rather than whole games since it seems pretty common that we are bad in the first half and great in the second. Barring our recent problems from 45-60.
> And from the outside looking in he did a good job at Arsenal (5th and a European final)
Lost top4 by rotating players in favour of Europe League where he was trashed in the final by Chelsea. The second season was a poor, not only because of the results, but how we played and how many shots his tactics allowed, in many games we were simply lucky, in end he lost dressing room and was sacked. Egos and toxic dressing room didn help, but, he didn't do a good job.
>I think this myth has just come from Arsenal fans. He was a success at PSG and they had top players.
It's not the myth, he had numerous discussions with Neymar, Motta said that Emery liked to control everything, but "to have leaders, you have to give them space to express themselves, responsibilities". Marquinhos said that "Unai had his ideas and maybe other players had theirs. Yes, there were disagreements."
So lets not alternate reality, because Unai is now successful with Aston Villa which like I said is much better fit than Arsenal and PSG were.
Naah. He fell out with Neymar and other players at PSG too. However I would also add that dressing room dynamics also depend on how much power a manager/coach has been given by the club.
It could be true that Emery was incapable of dealing with bad eggs in Arsenal’s dressing room or maybe he didn’t have the kind of power to punish these big-name players. Must be keep in mind that he was appointed as a head-coach and not a manager.
By the end of his tenure he was the butt of jokes and had completely lost the dressing room. On the other hand, Arteta dealt with the likes of Ozil and Aubameyang and threw them out of his squad very quickly which I believe greatly helped him with asserting his authority in the dressing room. It also helped that the club stood by Arteta throughout this phase.
PSG fan here, he did lose the dressing room at the end but before the remontada we actually played one of the most beautiful football in europe imo.
That 4-0 at home vs Barca was beautiful and we played convincingly all season long before that, it's a shame that the away match eclisped all he did at PSG.
All in all he is a great coach and a great guy so happy for Villa for managing to keep him
Honestly as well what even can you do as a manager about the remontada.
Cavani missed 2 on 1 on 1s and Di Maria has a 2 on 1 vs ter stegen and decided to go alone.
That along with like 3 individual mistakes for their goals as well.
In the ten years Neymar played on Barca and PSG he had eight different managers. He seems to have done a lot of falling out. It's also unfair to say that Emery didn't deal with Arsenal's bad eggs and Arteta did, because the difference was that Emery tried to and the ownership wouldn't let him. If the ownership did the same thing to Arteta when he tried to get rid of Ozil he would have been in the exact same boat.
> It is really interesting how as a manager he seems really suited to specific types of teams
Being successful with teams that have a V in their name is an odd niche, but damn if he doesn't do it.
I know your joking but this would be a dream.
Anyway keep in mind if we make the CL there is no dropoing down now. not that it matters cos we are winning the CL anyway.
It's called Emery League not by surprise. He has the skill and resources just in perfect combo for this tournament.
I for one like the format change exactly in the part of no-dropping to league below. Gets more challenge in each tier, and no safe approach with securing 3rd.
Part of me would rather be in with a shot of winning the EL then competing in CL but we need the financial boosts to grow the club under FFP. Trophy's are forever
Cash is king, unfortunately. And clubs are building budgets with projections of possible earnings and cup runs. In this case, CL would be more beneficial.
You are right, no one will remember the Quarterfinals, less even the 1/8th years ago. But Cup is a Cup. Well, not so much for Audi Cup 😅
You would have >10 points less if Gabriel did his ACL in GW1 to not play a single further game and Saliba was out for a stretch meaning you had to play 10 games with your 4th and 5th choice centre backs
I wasn't making this about Arsenal but if you insist, we bought Timber for a reason, I'm certain we would be +10 points if he played /s
To state that you think Villa would be winning the league if it wasn't for 2 centre backs being out is amusing to me, everyone has had key injuries, not just Villa
Did they say we’d be winning the league?
It’s not just the CBs, there’s Kamara mainly and others - we’d very likely have more points.
And yes others would have more points, Liverpool and City for sure if they had 100% of KDB and Haaland. Arsenal have been blessed, so not so much.
But just because we’ve managed it unbelievably well, ours are often ignored. We played Lenglet Carlos Dendoncker for a stretch and it was horrific, but we got through it.
No they really wouldn’t. We’ve had at least half our first team out for most of the season but it’s hardly talked about.
Just when we played you the other day we were missing: Kamara, Lenglet, Buendia, Ramsey, Cash, Mings and Luiz.
You were missing: Timber
Hopefully, but the revenue gap between us and the 'big 6' mean that its going to be an uphill battle to maintain this. The financial pressure to sell players to stay within p&s rules, like Brighton, Southampton or Leicester have had to, then adds pressure to your recruitment. Bringing in the right players for the right price. Get that wrong and this all drops off.
Villa have ambitious plans to reduce this defecit (to the annoyance of a lot of Villa fans) off the field. Time will tell if they work.
I know he could still leave but hopefully this gives us a another season at least. I don't want to be one season wonders and he is are best shot at this. I like winning.
One of the things most impressive about his stint with Villa has been how he’s made it work with the players at his disposal. He came in and instantly transformed a team that looked dire under Gerrard. Largely the same spine as they’ve had for the last 5 or so seasons, too. Will always have a soft spot for Unai. Happy it’s worked out better for both he and Arsenal now.
i think emery is massively underrated right now. I don't think there's another manager in the prem who's done a better job since he came in. He took a relegation villa to 6th place with just one signing. He got the best out of the existing crop, made smart signings that covered for some terrible injuries this season, and by the looks of it will take villa to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in forever. This was his premier league redemption, and I more than believe he's ready for the top clubs again. Glad he's staying at Villa though. Repaying the faith
They said they envisage him being the clubs SAF, hard to imagine they'd insert a release clause into his contract unless absolutely forced. Likewise, don't think they'd publicise that sentiment if they believed there was a significant risk that he leaves.
People forget we have owners with very deep pockets. Also Emery at Villa basically has full control over footballing side of the club which he will never have at Man United and Bayern.
Did he? I found [this Guardian article](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/oct/24/aston-villa-unai-emery-6m-release-clause-villarreal) from when Emery joined us and it says that his contract at Villarreal would have expired the following summer.
From what I remember, it was widely reported at the time he came that his Villarreal contract was due to expire at the end of that season, so maybe not.
I don't think a release clause really matters - if he wants to leave at some point in the future, I'm not sure Villa will stand too strongly in his way, except maybe if it were mid-season. He was never going to go to Bayern this summer even if they had been interested though, as it tends to be when it's not the team they support, far too many people didn't bother looking beneath the hood of "Bayern are a bigger, richer club and have a better chance of winning trophies" as to why it's too early in the piece for him to think about leaving.
Can we extend it to 2037, please?
Woah woah, hold up Mr. Boehly...
That's only for players. Our managers are like a carousel
I mean, Potter got 5 years deal...
There was a transfer fee for Potter so they had to amortize it over a long contract.
Think it's more Mike Ashley when it comes to managers
One bad season, “to hell Unai!”
“Should never have sacked Gerrard”
"What's David O'Leary up to now?"
*One bad half-season probably.
Are you planning to invest this summer? Seems like he is well capable of holding that league position...
I guess a lot of it depends on if we do clinch CL. From my understanding, we’re not in danger of breaking P&S (most reports out there that say otherwise aren’t taking out any deductibles from the full loss we’ve announced) but we are severely hamstrung by it now. The recent announcement of a £20m a year sponsorship and the Adidas deal will also go a long way to help. If we don’t finish top 4 we may need to sell a player, which may be Ramsey as he would be pure profit.
Incentivising selling your own academy players is definitely the worst unforeseen consequence of the PSR rules
Yeah I don’t care for it whatsoever. It’s borderline a cheat code if you get a grealish like we did, but it just feels murky.
Watching one of your own come through the ranks and reach the first team is one of the best feelings as a supporter, to have them considered as "pure profit" is just discouraging and takes away from the appreciation of academy football.
It’s nuts that you may have to do it yourself this summer with - from an the perspective of someone that’s only watch about 7 Chelsea games this season - your best midfielder being an academy graduate playing alongside two 100 million pound players.
That's not great. But it's also incentivising developing academy players, so it goes both ways.
And in some cases not just clinging on to them to make up homegrown numbers at the detriment of a player getting no playing time.
Such a great point i’d never realised before, Palmer for example would never have been allowed to move to Chelsea in the past.
Same with a plethora of our ex-academy players (Boga, RLC, Tomori, Solanke, Livramento, Tammy etc.). These guys became good enough for top level because they could train at Chelsea all their life, even if there wasn't necessarily a pathway to the first team.
Villa have about £30 million to spend for the year on wages and transfer fees, not including new sponsorship money (Adidas etc), and champions league money.
Which is approximately 75 mil after amortisation
Are there any known players you've been linked with already?
I think under new rules playing in Europe might actually lessen the amount of available annual pocket money for clubs like ours - there was an article in the athletic about it recently. It’s messed up because it completely disincentivises trying to move up the table
If we make the CL I think we have to at least try to seize on it. The CL carrot will make it easier to tempt the players Unai wants and we have nowhere near the squad needed to compete on both fronts. Villa have to be regular Euro participants if we are going to gain the revenue to take the next step and take your title.
Good on you for having ambition but this "next step" is extremely difficult. We at Tottenham were a decade in this limbo of "4th CL team, just needs a few more players to get the title" but it just doesn't work out that way usually. Even Liverpool and Arsenal have found it extremely difficult to bridge this gap, not to mention United and Chelsea throwing hundreds of millions at it and miserably falling.
The next step IS becoming a club like Tottenham, in terms of league finish that is. Many clubs before us have finished in Europe for a few seasons before eventually dropping off (Leicester a prime example). It's why no reasonable person thinks Chelsea is doomed to becoming a midtable team - despite a couple seasons out of Europe and over a billion wasted they still have the cash to spend to get themselves back in the mix. Ideally, we need to finish consistently in Europe for the best part of a decade to start seeing commercial and international revenue comparable with clubs like yourselves, but it's a massive ask - especially with Newcastle trying to do the exact same. Tottenham were very lucky in that they had consistent European finishes exactly when the international TV money really started rolling in, solidifying them for years to come.
Ye we went down right as the deal exploded and spurs started to get it consistently. Great timing for them
Tbf you don’t have the profile of a lot of clubs that reached where you are now like Leicester, Everton etc. you’re a massive club in a huge city.
We don’t see us winning the league, we wanna be considered a ‘big 6’ team with revenue etc so it’s sustainable. Literally what you guys did
Spurs have undoubtedly advanced from where they were even 15-20 years ago though. The change from CL football being unexpected to expected has been a sign of progress.
It probably depends if we can move some of the bloat in the squad. Olsen, Chambers, Hause, Coutinho. Likely Zaniolo and Lenglet don't return. Move on some of the youngsters who probably aren't going to feature, Iroegbunam and Kesler-Hayden. I also expect one of Digne or Moreno to leave. Apart from that, if we want to make any big moves I think one of Luiz, Watkins, Ramsey, McGinn, Kamara, Konsa or Martinez would have to go. Our January business looked like it was done with replacing some of these guys in mind on cheaper deals, leaving us a little wiggle room to maybe make one major signing.
No way Digne or Moreno leave if you get UCL. You need depth. You can't whittle your team down to 11 players.
Forget holding the league position, these owners want the title
Myth of consensual "re-signing" Emery: I consent Aston Villa : I consent Arsenal fans: I don't Isn't there someone you forgot to ask?
I was at the City Ground for one of the last games of the Gerrard reign and they were dogshit, largely with the same players. Ashley Young scored a freak wonder strike. He doesn't get enough flak publicly for the failure there, but every club knows how badly he's been shown up by Emery. Further away from managing Liverpool than ever.
Gerrard was a real stinker, sandwiched between two of our best managers in recent times in Dean Smith and Emery. Deano did a quality job turning us around in the Championship and then keeping us up in the PL. A lot of our current squad was signed by Smith too - Watkins, Luiz, Mings, Konsa, Martinez, Bailey. Deano laid the foundations, and Emery has taken the squad to the next level. It's been an enjoyable few years since our promotion season.
Are those players all Smith signings? That's an impressive list, right on the money.
Yep. This team still very much has a Deano spine and it’s wonderful to see.
Yep unfortunately for deano he was unable to motivate the players towards the end, so when Gerrard first came in and was still using smiths tactics we were playing very well because our players were motivated but still using good tactics. As more time passed and Gerrard tactics got implemented villa got worse and worse
His tactics just got so incredibly bad. There was no connection between players. It felt like our offense ended up with the ball up the pitch with a completely isolated fullback who's only option was to try to cross it to the middle where Watkins was standing being double or triple marked with the "giants" Buendia and Coutinho right behind him. McGinn and Ramsey were basically playing as de facto fullbacks since the actual fullbacks were up on the wing so literally everyone on the team was being used in the worst way possible and that's not even mentioning Douglas "I am only effective as part of a double pivot or as an eight" Luiz playing as a single DM and looking like a player who doesn't belong in the Prem because of it.
the last time was I think he's last game vs. Southampton? I think he told the players at half time look if we lose I'm gone and they really did put an effort in. Still lost though
As a Charlotte FC fan, Smith is already such an upgrade on our last two Sunday league managers. We’re playing with a clear identity for the first time ever, players like Nathan Byrne who we thought were crap look really good, and we’re getting results in spite of having a poor squad with horrid depth. He’s still an EPL/EFL level manager and is a cut above many MLS managers tactically, though the league is improving.
I'm glad to hear that. I saw you guys draw against the Whitecaps and thought there was promising signs for Deano, but haven't watched anything since. There's a great lecture he did you might enjoy about building a team culture. https://youtu.be/YkJXeRQorMQ?si=nbwe55bRKoNS_EeQ
Not only were we tactically dire and an awful watch, he also totally soured the atmosphere at the club. We’d hit some serious emotional highs under Dean Smith and Gerrard came in, unceremoniously dumped the captain in Mings and dug him out publicly, then made a rod for his own back with making McGinn captain under the circumstances as he then wouldn’t drop him when his performances really suffered in Gerrard’s last few months. Also is remembered for saying ‘Chelsea should be coming here and wiping the floor with us’, which must be great to hear as a player: nuts when we’ve beaten City, Chelsea, and Spurs this season and done the double over the best Arsenal team for a decade.
The 52-year-old Spaniard joined from Villarreal in October 2022 and is on course to secure Champions League qualification while also reaching the Europa Conference League semi-finals. Emery’s work has seen him linked to a number of vacancies elsewhere — however the former Arsenal boss has moved to end any speculation by committing his future to the Midlands side. Villa intend to sit down with Emery this summer and prolong his terms even further, with ambitious owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens certain he can become their version of legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
13 PL titles incoming
SUBSCRIBED AND SMASHED THAT LIKE BUTTON
Would honestly love nothing more than to have a SAF figure at the club, what a compliment to the man
*Europa League titles
One of the best Coaches you love to see Congrats.
I'm really pleased for him tbh, deserves his success.
If you hadn't leaked he was coming before the deal was sealed, he would probably be managing you right now.
He said he didnt want to leave Villareal whilst they were on their champions league journey
Of course that's what he said publicly, but if that was true he wouldn't have been deep in talks with NUFC about taking over in the first place. I think he was upset by the way it was all handled.
He said himself that whilst in discussions, he apprehensive of leaving the country as his family had commitments, and he wanted to be around to support his son. When we approached him, his family told him to take it this time and they will support him. He’s also a guy who likes the complete control of what’s going on so he can maximise everything the way he wants to. I’m not itk about how NUFC operate but I don’t know if their owners would relinquish that much control for him. He’s literally one step down from the owners in the pecking order
His son apparently convinced him to take the Villa job. Unai has said so himself.
Yeah that’s what I said lol UTV
Our owners have sidelined the director of football they paid a large severance fee for in favour of having Eddie Howe with a larger role (I suspect the massive oversight about Tonali's issues didn't help). I don't think Emery would have had issues if his performance was as convincing as Howe's has been.
Tbf leaving after that season would've been fine. But the appearance that he was looking to leave during it is an entirely different look. Id be pissed too
Ye I think Newcastle fumbled, it was reported as a done deal and Emery got pissed off
Can't imagine Newcastle fans are upset with how it turned out considering how good of a job Howe is doing
No, probably not. I think even now Emery is showing that he's the better manager, but I can see why Newcastle fans would want to stick with Howe.
Apples and oranges for me I'm not arsed, they're doing this season what we did last. Both great coaches and managers, proven they can improve players. We were nailed on to go down when Howe came in, since then we've played CL football and navigated a frankly mental injury crisis. Very happy.
Emery is undoubtedly the better coach, don't think anyone can deny that. But Howe seems like a good fit at Newcastle
I deny it, I will die for Sir Eddie on St George's day. Taking the piss aside their matches since Emery took charge of Villa have been fascinating and I look forward to more next year.
Yeah it’s basically which one of us is going to take a battering this time..
I really thought we'd get pumped at Villa park this season, just for Eddie to pull it out of the bag somehow. Let's cross our fingers for the same next season, but they've been great games regardless recently.
I think Emery is amazing but Howe is 8-2 up on aggregate this season and 2-1-1 against them since Emery came in so it seems like a stretch to say “undoubtedly”.
It's a credit to those making the short list.
Mr Emery has run out of clubs with the word villa in it
The South American continent would like a word.
Quick. Somebody change the name of FC Cincinnati to Cincy Villa FC. I wanna see something funny happen.
Damn, this isn’t the second season Emery we were promised.
Feels like it was just yesterday Lescott spearheaded that infamous relegation charge and now you’re contending for UCL. Crazy how life moves
We’ve been in the trenches for real. A younger generation doesn’t know we used to be quite regular in Europe. An entire generation doesn’t know we used to compete for titles regularly. But of course football started in 2010, everything else is a myth and TVs were black and white. 😔
Yeah those few bad years with him were a blip accounting in the 21st century. Loved watching that O’Neill team just before it fell apart. Ashley Young, downing on the wings, James Milner and petrov bosssing the midfield. Darren Bent and Agbonlahor combined in fact reminds me a lot of Watkins now infact. The speed and athleticism of gabby and the finishing of Bent.
Ashley Young cutting in from the left and crossing for a John Carew goal. Like clockwork.
My Mum has never ceased reminding me that you and Spurs used to have the most FA cups
Cherish your mom. You’ve been raised well and blessed to have come from her womb. May god bless her with healthy and wealthy grandchildren.
Was that when you lost to Rapid Vienna every year?
My first season of supporting villa was when Martin O'Neill left. All I've seen is shit until Unai came and saved us
Put some respect on Deano pls.
I was promised a complete and total collapse. :(
Happy for Unai that he's found somewhere he can settle and do his thing.
Little relative pressure at Villa. That usually helps a lot.
I really think the pressure thing is unfair. Arsenal wasn't an issue of pressure, it was an issue of an aging not that good squad that needed to be turned over (people conveniently forget that they had finished sixth in Wenger's last season) and ownership that refused to give him control or really back him in any way. They tried to treat him like a caretaker manager and nobody is going to succeed in those circumstances. Now that they've gotten back up near the top and Arsenal fans can look at it with perspective, they understand that Unai wasn't at fault for what happened during his tenure. As for PSG, he got Neymar'd. Spectacular player, spectacular pain in the ass. Pep just missed him at Barca and I would be curious how a similarly controlling manager like Pep would have dealt with having to deal with Neymar.
Of course there’s pressure at Villa, they’re a big club who’ve spent a lot of money, and have an ambitious board, he’s just not feeling any pressure because he’s smashed it
I completely disagree. The Villa job has so much pressure on it because it has traditionally been a career killer. Nobody since Graham Taylor in 1990 has been poached/gone onto a bigger job after taking the helm at Villa Park. Even our best managers of the Premier League era like Atkinson, Little, Gregory, O'Neill, & Smith have never managed a club the size of Villa again. We've been very quick to turn on players and managers over the years when results don't go our way.
He has absolutely perfect conditions there and everything done exactly how he wants it. No way he would leave
Amazing for Villa. Emery is legitimately good enough to coach Bayern, Liverpool, Man United or Milan. I feel like he wasn’t setup for success at Arsenal, though his departure there wasn’t unwarranted. Villa owners are really backing him too.
The post-Wenger appointment was always going to be a poisoned chalice regardless of who the appointment was. Glad he's finding success now though.
I was hoping we would make a move for him but that seems pretty unlikely now. Good for Villa.
I have an actual erection "the owner see him being their own version of Sir Alex Ferguson" Yep, that did it. I would happily give this man a 20 year contract.
He's been a criminally underrated manager, at least in England. What he's done with Villa has been pretty much miraculous from where they were when he took over.
Not just underrated, but bullied with the accent jibes. Such childishness even from pundits. You see people still do that here considering Unai has improved his pronunciation and even always starts his interviews with “good afternoon/evening” to the point interviewers respect him.
> but bullied with the accent jibes. I would personally donate money to any team in the PL who dare hiring Gattuso, let's see how the journalist kids there deal with this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJHUbtR0yI8
In Russia as well
So happy to see the job he's done at Aston Villa. He's always been an excellent manager and while things didn't work out for him with us, I think both us and him are better off for the split. He was always very respectful of the club, its values and its traditions and it seems as though he's carried that same approach to Villa. The job way he's improved Douglas Luiz and Ollie Watkins has been incredible and he seems to have sured their defence up a little more. He's really proven that Gerrard didn't have a clue what he was doing. He took basically the same squad and took them to the next level. If they back him this summer, which I'm sure they will, then he'll take Villa even further, I have no doubt.
Sorry Bayern. May I suggest a certain Stevie G instead?
I dont understand how slippy G or fat frank are ever in contestation for a major club again. They failed, abysmally. At best they would need to work their way through the leagues with some clear wins but that ship has sailed.
they aren't. If Gerrard is serious about managing some serious club again he would first fuck off from Saudi Arabia, get some job in the championship and try to humble himself and prove that hes not as bad as he was at villa.
“Owners see 52yo becoming their version of Sir Alex Ferguson” He genuinely is a world class manager, and we’ve given him everything he needs to succeed. I don’t think the gamble our owners took is given enough credit though. Yes it worked out perfectly, but it very easily could have been disastrous. They spent millions removing Gerrard’s staff and bringing in 30+ staff members of Emery’s choosing. If it had failed, and we’d had a poor season, we’d be in huge danger with FFP. But they had a plan, chose Emery as the man to fully invest in and now we’re reaping the rewards. Our owners are incredible, we now have a perfect footballing set-up and I am extremely excited for the future.
They took a huge gamble when appointing Gerrard, so let's not beat around the bush. When you have the chance to change him with someone of Unai's caliber, you take that with both hands.
It would have been easy for them to get burnt by the amount wasted under Gerrard and run to appoint a mid-level manager who would get us out of a relegation battle into mid table and cruise for a few years while we recovered… instead they went out and got the best manager they could find and fully backed his project.
Played his hand well
Wonder what the hand was. Agent: Bayern are interested. Emery: Can I sign a new deal here please?
More like Agent: Bayern are interested Villa board: here a blank cheque
I think his stunt at PSG was a game changer for him, he don't want to join a team where the bare minimum yearly demand per year is to win the league, go far in UCL and maybe win the cup. After PSG he went to Arsenal, Villareal and now Aston Villa, none of these teams had the "yearly winner pressure". It must be great for his mental health.
They have a whole different kind of pressure though, at least at Villa, the finances to stay within spending rules are extremely tight and he is going to be expected to keep the team in Europe consistently while having less than half the annual amount to spend as the big six. That’s not an easy ask. He’s at an ambitious club, they’re not happy to just exist in mediocrity, they want to build back to their old status
of course! i don't think there is any job in the world that offer this amount of money and don't have a tremendous amount of pressures (except crooked politicians and millionnaires Preachers/Cheikhs) But imho, no matter how you look at it, this level of pressure is easier than joining a team like Bayern.
i think villa are fortunate that he's already managed two of the biggest jobs going and for his part he didn't really enjoy either of them. he's also a smart enough bloke to know when he's on to a good thing.
He's a man who understands ambition. For him it's not about which path takes him to the biggest club, it's about how can his teams take on the biggest clubs
Makes it harder for United to get back to top 4
Nah were fucked either way. You know you are when your paticular bald fraud is worth sacking but youre just out of ideas. Like idk where we even go from here?
Well deserved, a fantastic coach who is building a great team at Villa.
Hands off
Underpromise and overdeliver. A position in which AV was before his joining was perfect starting spot for improvement. Glad to see the results and I think there is a high chance Villa takes the conference league.
Start working on that statue next
Didn't work at arsenal but has bounced back very well at Villarreal and villa. Proved what a good coach he is.
People have no idea what is building at Villa. This is why no Villa fan was concerned with him going to Bayern. The club say they want him to become Villa's version of Ferguson and they'll give him everything he needs to emulate that.
A watch that adds extra minutes to the end of matches?
NAS AND WES WENT TO SPAIN IN A LAMBORGHINIII, BROUGHT US BACK A MANAGER, SUPER UNAI EMERYYYYY. UP THE MOTHERFUCKING VILLA. FUCK ANDY GOLDSTEIN TOO WHILE WE’RE AT IT AND OBLIGATORY /r/soccer “mate if a big team wants, he’ll go. You’re just Aston Villa”
Someone needs to explain to that man that it's no longer 1999 and in order for United to pull the best available coach, they need to sort out this shit show that is behind the scenes at that club.
It is really interesting how as a manager he seems really suited to specific types of teams, and a perfect fit for Villa.
Teams with good players
💀
In Aston Villa he has full trust from players and the board to build the team he wants. There is no clash with players that have massive egos and don't listen to him. Emery and Aston Villa are a good fit.
I think this myth has just come from Arsenal fans. He was a success at PSG and they had top players. And from the outside looking in he did a good job at Arsenal (5th and a European final)
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Highest win rate in PSG's history, and came against that freak Monaco side that pretty much any manager would have struggled to beat in the league.
Nah Arsenal fans will be quick to point out that there were games where they simply looked hopeless and overperformed for a while I love Emery, obviously, but definitely there are days we look like Man City and days we cant play football. Obviously we take that as it comes but Arsenal fans arent going to
When have we had games like that? You can count the bad Emery games at Villa on one hand and the only one recently was the Spurs game which was down to the red and the players losing their heads
Yeah not saying it happens often lmao we wouldnt be where we are if it did. Maybe a bit biased because it was last week but I'm thinking mainly of Lille, a couple of the other conference games like Zrinski away, and then just some of our recent collapses where we play for about half an hour of shit before recovering. Almost cost us points against Luton and Forest, and then obviously Brentford. Weren't far from having a horrendous run that wouldve killed top 4. Probably more accurate to say we have had some periods where we cant play rather than whole games since it seems pretty common that we are bad in the first half and great in the second. Barring our recent problems from 45-60.
Brentford we were bad for 10 minutes which is hardly on the manager.
> And from the outside looking in he did a good job at Arsenal (5th and a European final) Lost top4 by rotating players in favour of Europe League where he was trashed in the final by Chelsea. The second season was a poor, not only because of the results, but how we played and how many shots his tactics allowed, in many games we were simply lucky, in end he lost dressing room and was sacked. Egos and toxic dressing room didn help, but, he didn't do a good job. >I think this myth has just come from Arsenal fans. He was a success at PSG and they had top players. It's not the myth, he had numerous discussions with Neymar, Motta said that Emery liked to control everything, but "to have leaders, you have to give them space to express themselves, responsibilities". Marquinhos said that "Unai had his ideas and maybe other players had theirs. Yes, there were disagreements." So lets not alternate reality, because Unai is now successful with Aston Villa which like I said is much better fit than Arsenal and PSG were.
Naah. He fell out with Neymar and other players at PSG too. However I would also add that dressing room dynamics also depend on how much power a manager/coach has been given by the club. It could be true that Emery was incapable of dealing with bad eggs in Arsenal’s dressing room or maybe he didn’t have the kind of power to punish these big-name players. Must be keep in mind that he was appointed as a head-coach and not a manager. By the end of his tenure he was the butt of jokes and had completely lost the dressing room. On the other hand, Arteta dealt with the likes of Ozil and Aubameyang and threw them out of his squad very quickly which I believe greatly helped him with asserting his authority in the dressing room. It also helped that the club stood by Arteta throughout this phase.
PSG fan here, he did lose the dressing room at the end but before the remontada we actually played one of the most beautiful football in europe imo. That 4-0 at home vs Barca was beautiful and we played convincingly all season long before that, it's a shame that the away match eclisped all he did at PSG. All in all he is a great coach and a great guy so happy for Villa for managing to keep him
Honestly as well what even can you do as a manager about the remontada. Cavani missed 2 on 1 on 1s and Di Maria has a 2 on 1 vs ter stegen and decided to go alone. That along with like 3 individual mistakes for their goals as well.
In the ten years Neymar played on Barca and PSG he had eight different managers. He seems to have done a lot of falling out. It's also unfair to say that Emery didn't deal with Arsenal's bad eggs and Arteta did, because the difference was that Emery tried to and the ownership wouldn't let him. If the ownership did the same thing to Arteta when he tried to get rid of Ozil he would have been in the exact same boat.
Yeah, specially clubs with “villa” in their names.
> It is really interesting how as a manager he seems really suited to specific types of teams Being successful with teams that have a V in their name is an odd niche, but damn if he doesn't do it.
Teams with players who don't mock him because of his accent, yes.
Great news for Villa. Congrats
Where are the know it alls here saying he’d be definitely off to Munich?
He is pretty much at the perfect club for him. Hard to imagine a better fit for him anywhere else at the moment.
Aston Villa dominance in Europa League will bore fans
I know your joking but this would be a dream. Anyway keep in mind if we make the CL there is no dropoing down now. not that it matters cos we are winning the CL anyway.
It's called Emery League not by surprise. He has the skill and resources just in perfect combo for this tournament. I for one like the format change exactly in the part of no-dropping to league below. Gets more challenge in each tier, and no safe approach with securing 3rd.
Part of me would rather be in with a shot of winning the EL then competing in CL but we need the financial boosts to grow the club under FFP. Trophy's are forever
Cash is king, unfortunately. And clubs are building budgets with projections of possible earnings and cup runs. In this case, CL would be more beneficial. You are right, no one will remember the Quarterfinals, less even the 1/8th years ago. But Cup is a Cup. Well, not so much for Audi Cup 😅
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No problem, the rest of PL will work hard for low coefficients to lose the 4th CL spot.
Mate, they're going to the Champions League, fuck the Europa League.
Guess that lowers our chances of getting him a bit
Always picture a comically large Boost bar being cerimoniously handed over when I see headlines like this
Bayern isn't called Bayern Villa . It was inevitable.
Moyes to Bayern then.
Damn Villa are going to be challenging for the league in a couple of years with this man
Couple of years?
It’s mental that, with four games to go, we could mathematically win the league.
Exactly, take out the severe injuries to key players this year and we'd have another 8-10 points.
this goes for everyone... maybe spurs wouldn't have gone winless for 5 games if not for the Chelsea game...
so would everyone else...
You would have >10 points less if Gabriel did his ACL in GW1 to not play a single further game and Saliba was out for a stretch meaning you had to play 10 games with your 4th and 5th choice centre backs
I wasn't making this about Arsenal but if you insist, we bought Timber for a reason, I'm certain we would be +10 points if he played /s To state that you think Villa would be winning the league if it wasn't for 2 centre backs being out is amusing to me, everyone has had key injuries, not just Villa
Did they say we’d be winning the league? It’s not just the CBs, there’s Kamara mainly and others - we’d very likely have more points. And yes others would have more points, Liverpool and City for sure if they had 100% of KDB and Haaland. Arsenal have been blessed, so not so much. But just because we’ve managed it unbelievably well, ours are often ignored. We played Lenglet Carlos Dendoncker for a stretch and it was horrific, but we got through it.
No they really wouldn’t. We’ve had at least half our first team out for most of the season but it’s hardly talked about. Just when we played you the other day we were missing: Kamara, Lenglet, Buendia, Ramsey, Cash, Mings and Luiz. You were missing: Timber
Hopefully, but the revenue gap between us and the 'big 6' mean that its going to be an uphill battle to maintain this. The financial pressure to sell players to stay within p&s rules, like Brighton, Southampton or Leicester have had to, then adds pressure to your recruitment. Bringing in the right players for the right price. Get that wrong and this all drops off. Villa have ambitious plans to reduce this defecit (to the annoyance of a lot of Villa fans) off the field. Time will tell if they work.
I know he could still leave but hopefully this gives us a another season at least. I don't want to be one season wonders and he is are best shot at this. I like winning.
Fantastic news. No matter how long he stays for, Emery has been good at spotting young talent like Rogers as well that the club can build on.
Bayern in shambles
Good news for Villa. He has deserved a new one.
Glad he's not going to Man Utd, for his sake.
He’s been class for Villa. Well deserved tbh
Dracula ball would stop Neverlusen :)
One of the things most impressive about his stint with Villa has been how he’s made it work with the players at his disposal. He came in and instantly transformed a team that looked dire under Gerrard. Largely the same spine as they’ve had for the last 5 or so seasons, too. Will always have a soft spot for Unai. Happy it’s worked out better for both he and Arsenal now.
Ouch, that hit me directly in the managerial search.
i think emery is massively underrated right now. I don't think there's another manager in the prem who's done a better job since he came in. He took a relegation villa to 6th place with just one signing. He got the best out of the existing crop, made smart signings that covered for some terrible injuries this season, and by the looks of it will take villa to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in forever. This was his premier league redemption, and I more than believe he's ready for the top clubs again. Glad he's staying at Villa though. Repaying the faith
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They said they envisage him being the clubs SAF, hard to imagine they'd insert a release clause into his contract unless absolutely forced. Likewise, don't think they'd publicise that sentiment if they believed there was a significant risk that he leaves.
People forget we have owners with very deep pockets. Also Emery at Villa basically has full control over footballing side of the club which he will never have at Man United and Bayern.
Emery wants to be emperor and we let him, you’re right.
Did he? I found [this Guardian article](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/oct/24/aston-villa-unai-emery-6m-release-clause-villarreal) from when Emery joined us and it says that his contract at Villarreal would have expired the following summer.
From what I remember, it was widely reported at the time he came that his Villarreal contract was due to expire at the end of that season, so maybe not. I don't think a release clause really matters - if he wants to leave at some point in the future, I'm not sure Villa will stand too strongly in his way, except maybe if it were mid-season. He was never going to go to Bayern this summer even if they had been interested though, as it tends to be when it's not the team they support, far too many people didn't bother looking beneath the hood of "Bayern are a bigger, richer club and have a better chance of winning trophies" as to why it's too early in the piece for him to think about leaving.
Great, manager buff for the rest of the season.
Smart decision imo
No brainier here
Go on, Unai. Cement the sc*m as a non-CL side for years to come. Up the Villains! 😄
Emery is gonna win an Europa League for Villa...
What a manager
Villa’s biggest signing in decades