Unai Emery commits future to Aston Villa with contract extension

Unai Emery has committed his future to Aston Villa, signing a new contract that will extend his stay at the club until at least the end of the 2026/27 season.

His existing deal was thought to run until 2026 and so this extension comes as a huge boost for Villa at a time when jobs at Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are available this summer. Emery has also been linked with Manchester United as uncertainty persists regarding Erik ten Hag’s future.

"We are enjoying our way together with Villa fans, the club owners, management and this great group of players that we are proud of," Emery said after signing his extension.

"Me and the football management... we share the vision of the owners. Nassef [Sawiris] and Wes [Edens] are very supportive and respectful, and we have a good environment and the right structure to develop this football club.

"We must maintain the hard-working spirit, clever decisions and coordination with the ownership that we have found during this time. We will work to get better and better. And we will demand from each other. Ambition already is, and must always be, the motto of this project."

Chairman Nassef Sawiris added: "We are thrilled and are building a sporting operation around Unai to support him with a view of returning Aston Villa, a co-founder of the English Football League as we prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary, to its historic levels of greatness."

Emery replaced Steven Gerrard as manager back in October 2022, with Villa paying a buyout fee to Villarreal for his services. The Spaniard, whose spell succeeding Arsene Wenger at Arsenal ended prematurely, has taken Villa to the brink of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time.

Currently fourth, they are on course for their highest domestic finish since a second place in the Premier League's inaugural 1992/93 season, while a first trophy since 1996 is on the cards if they keep progressing in the Europa Conference League after reaching the semi-finals.

Villa will face Greek giants Olympiacos over two legs next month, aiming to reach their first major continental final since lifting the European Cup in 1982.

Emery made his name as a manager with Almeria in his mid-thirties, before landing a high-profile job at Valencia. A spell at Sevilla proved defining when he won three consecutive Europa League trophies with the club, before a period at Paris Saint-Germain. After his dismissal from Arsenal in 2019, Emery returned to Spain and guided Villarreal to Europa League glory over Manchester United in 2021.

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