Unai Emery eager to keep 'breaking barriers' at Aston Villa

Unai Emery has outlined his desire to “break barriers” with Villa and declared himself happy at the club.

The Spaniard is eager to kick on after the most successful season of his reign which saw Villa qualify for the Champions League and win the Europa League, to end a 30-year trophy drought.

Emery’s success has come despite Villa being restricted in their spending compared to rivals with much larger revenues.

And during an interview with the Spanish podcast, Despejados, the manager spoke of his continued big ambitions.

Asked if Villa could realistically challenge for the Premier League title, Emery replied: “My journey and process as a coach has been based on thinking about the context of each team at every moment and asking: ‘How far can we go? Where is our final barrier?’ And trying to break it.”

He continued: “Aston Villa, with our history, one European Cup, now one Europa League, what is our challenge?

“To win and be able to compete. I don’t know if we are going to be close to Arsenal or City, but in December we were there. We need more capacity and muscle to say ‘we are here’.”

Emery already ranks among the most successful managers in Villa’s history having overseen a dramatic transformation since taking charge in October 2022, when the team sat just above the Premier League’s relegation zone.

They have gone on to qualify for Europe in four straight seasons and next year will again look to challenge in the Champions League, after reaching the quarter-final stage of the competition during the 2024-25 campaign.

Emery’s success has inevitably alerted the attention of other clubs with the 54-year-old thought to have been on the radar of Real Madrid earlier this year.

But he also enjoys a level of control at Villa he is unlikely to find elsewhere.

Emery, who has three years remaining on a contract signed in 2024, said: “I have a very personal rule: I want to be wanted where I am first, because that’s where you are best understood.

“At Aston Villa we are in a process of evolution with significant improvement.

“Every year I want to take steps to improve and the club is willing to do that. So I feel satisfied.”