Unai Emery is convinced he can achieve big things at Aston Villa as he prepares to sign a new contract in the wake of comments from Jamie Carragher that sparked a backlash
Unai Emery, head coach of Aston Villa,
Unai Emery has big ambitions at Aston Villa(Image: Javier Borrego/Getty Images)
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Unai Emery has insisted that he can win the Champions League with Aston Villa in eye-catching comments which follow the club's legal threat towards Jamie Carragher.
Carragher caused a stir by suggesting that Emery would be a good fit to replace Michael Carrick as Manchester United manager. His comments - plus a subsequent sweary message to angry Villa fans - prompted Villa to take the extraordinary step of threatening the Sky Sports pundit with legal action.
The former Liverpool defender was forced to issue an apology, but has since doubled down on his opinion that Villa are some way behind United in the hierarchy of global football. Writing in the Telegraph, Carragher said it was "beyond doubt" that United eclipse Villa on every conceivable metric.
"It did not strike me as controversial to suggest that when a club of United’s size wants Aston Villa’s managers or players, traditionally they get them," he added.
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Emery is poised to show his commitment to Villa by signing a new contract and, speaking ahead of a trip to Old Trafford with his side on Sunday, insisted he can achieve his dreams by staying put.
“Aston Villa won [the European Cup] in 1982. They were favourites at that moment? I think not,” Emery said. “ Leicester won the league 10 years ago. In football, everything can happen. Of course, the favourite teams, they are (competing for) the Premier League and Champions League.
“With Villarreal, we played in the semi-final four years ago. We were close. Borussia Dortmund played three years ago in the final. They are teams not favourites, but sometimes they are having their opportunity to fight for this title.
“In the Premier League, it is more difficult. We finished two times fourth in the league and in those times we were in December two or three points behind Manchester City and Arsenal. To keep the consistency in 38 matches is the difficult way. But we are working, trying to get our best.
Aston Villa's 22 Ian Maatsen during the UEFA Champions League 2026/2027 match between FC Barcelona and Aston Villa
Aston Villa had won all three of their Champions League games this season before losing 3-0 to Barcelona(Image: Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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“Of course, it is very difficult to win the Premier League, very difficult to win the Champions League. I have my dreams, thinking in objectives like that. In all my moments working in all the clubs, I was setting my demand high and my objectives high, sometimes achieving and sometimes not.
“Last year, we achieved the Europa League, which is the second competition in Europe. Still being positive how we can continue improving, how we can even not being contender in the Premier League or Champions League, we have to compete and we have to try to get our best. Over the time, we will see how we can achieve our objectives.”
Carragher has argued that, while United are currently below Villa in terms of results, the Red Devils remains a bigger job with greater expectations.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 2: Jamie Carragher during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Etihad Stadium on May 2, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher was threatened with legal action by Aston Villa(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA, Getty Images)
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"United clearly are not at the level of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG right now," he wrote. "But when any manager goes to Old Trafford, over the course of their contract they will be expected to build a team that will go head to head with those European giants. Anything less is failure. Villa are not judged to that standard.
"Emery is Villa’s best coach since their 1981 title-winner Ron Saunders, but he can take his side to Barcelona, get soundly beaten 3-0, and it will be brushed off as an understandable setback against European aristocracy. United managers cannot suffer that kind of loss without more scrutiny."
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