Exclusive: Ambitious Unai Emery targets Champions League berth with Aston Villa - 'We have the challenge now'

Unai Emery has outlined his ambition to see his Aston Villa side continue to improve, including competing in the UEFA Champions League, after extending his stay at the club.

The Spaniard put pen to paper on a contract extension earlier in the week, extending his stay at the club until 2027.

Emery arrived at the club in 2022 and secured UEFA Europa Conference League qualification with the Villans after less than a full season in charge.

The club is in the semi-finals of that competition now and currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League, well placed for possible Champions League qualification next season.

Speaking exclusively to TNT Sports ahead of Villa’s home match against Chelsea on Saturday evening, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, Emery highlighted that he is motivated to achieve greater success with the Midlanders.

“I love it here,” he said. “And I have a lot of work to do. Still a lot of work to do here with our project, our ideas, to increase time, to get another challenge you can face.

“When I arrived here I signed for three and a half years and the clause, in case the club was happy, they could activate for one year more. I am happy because it’s confidence in me. They showed me the confidence and they extended.

“And of course, I agreed, and I think the consequence is now three years ahead to try to continue improving and being motivated. The first thing I think is being motivated and a little bit excited about how much we can do.”

Ahead of the visit of Chelsea, Villa are six points ahead of Tottenham, albeit having played two matches more.

As a minimum, Europa League qualification is now certain via the league and their remarkable season could also end with a first trophy since 1996, should they win the Europa Conference League.

Emery says that his ambition has always been about this kind of success and is hoping the season can end on a high with the club achieving its goals.

“When first arrived here my first message was I wanted to be contending for a trophy," he explains "First, a trophy through the Premier League. Of course, to win the Premier League is fairly difficult, but of course, it is a dream.

“Then is a Carabao or FA Cup, of course very difficult, but another way to a trophy. Then you’re playing in Europe. Firstly, Europe is always special. For me, it's really amazing to play in Europe because it's a very good opportunity for a trophy and because when you're in Europe, you have more opportunities to continue adding matches and trying to build the team with the players.  

“When I arrived here, the first step we did last year was to get in the Conference League and of course, there are three competitions in Europe.

“This week we confirmed, we will play in the Europa League. And of course, we have the challenge now [to reach the Champions League].

“Fourth is competing against Tottenham [which is] really difficult but we deserved to get to be in contention now. It is the most important competition in Europe and the most difficult and the most prestigious we can have.”

Qualification for the Champions League will see Villa playing in Europe’s premier cup competition for the first time since the 1983 quarter-final when they were defending champions, having won the trophy the previous year.

They will hope to strengthen their chances with a win over a stuttering Chelsea, ahead of the first leg of their Conference League semi-final at home to Olympiacos, also live on TNT Sports.

Despite the hectic fixture list, with every match of notable importance, Emery is not fazed by the tight turnaround between matches and believes the experience will help his players.

He will also be looking to add to his own glittering record in UEFA’s newest competition, having won the Europa league four times in his career to date.

“I want to play a lot of matches because I think the better teams in the world, they have the habits to play a lot of matches, and they are confident, with their experiences to play, and be successful," he says. "And of course, we are having those experiences with the players.

“For some players it’s the first time playing in Europe but I think for them it’s very good experience and then we can try to use our experiences to get better and be more demanding."

He added: “Europe is always welcome for us. For me, I am playing in Europe 16 years in a row and I am very happy. Of course, it’s more work, more matches, more risk of injuries to your players but it's amazing to know other countries and the football culture and to be facing other teams in other countries.

“Now we are in semi-finals in Conference League facing Olympiacos, an experienced team in Europe in the Champions League, Europa League and now in the Conference League. I think it’s a very good test for us.”

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