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

"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.”

Unai Emery on signing his contract extension to 2027.


“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.”

Nassef Sawiris on Unai Emery’s new contract.


"Up the Villa, right? We had a big win against Bournemouth at home. We’re in fourth place, six points ahead of Tottenham.

"They have a couple of games in hand so this is far from decided but we’re getting closer to the end of the season and every game is like a finals match.

"We invested in the team six years ago. Aston Villa is a very, very historic and proud team, but it had some rough times. Six years ago from the Championship to the Champions League would be a record of some sort.

"We’re really rooting for it. We’re blessed to have some amazing management there. Unai Emery and Monchi are the people who really operate the team for us on the field. They’re amazing guys.

"It’s going to be nail-biting the next couple of weeks, but hopefully we’ll make it through that and we’ll be in the Champions League next year. It would be amazing."

Wes Edens.


"What we’ve done in 11 months, we’ve cleared up a lot of, let’s say, not great contracts.

“We have reinvented ourselves. We will be launching the next generation of our brand, coming up in a few weeks.

"We have doubled our front-of-shirt deal, plus we have doubled our sleeve deal, plus we have doubled our kit deal.

"I haven’t been talking much because honestly we have been working to get this accomplished and now it’s time to share that the big six, who we are chasing, quite frankly we are ready to kick the door down."

Chris Heck.


"The time is passing so quick, but it's been fantastic.

”We are progressively getting better and developing everything like we wanted to, when I decided to come here and take this challenge with Nassef, Wes Edens and Aston Villa. My target was, and is still, to be in Europe - to be in the Conference League, Europa League, Champions League. At the end, my target is to be with Aston Villa in the Champions League.

"Then, try to be contenders for a trophy - we are now, in Europe with the Conference League, but also in England. I want the hardest challenges I can face, and to get trophies and dream, maybe, of even the most important trophies for us, to win the Premier League, to win the Europa League or to win the Champions League. We have to be demanding, but we have to be realistic.

"Then to fight with the best teams in the Premier League, each year, like Manchester City, Liverpool, now Arsenal, two years ago Chelsea, three years ago Tottenham - they weren't, so long ago, in the final of the Champions League. They're some of the best teams in the world - they want to win the Premier League and then they want to win in Europe. Our level, now, is not enough to fight for the Premier League - but of course, I want to increase our level.

"I want to increase our structure and our possibilities economically, to get more money to be closer to where the other teams are, who are fighting for the Premier League. I am realistic but ambitious and sometimes it's difficult to be both. Sometimes you have to break something - like here, with Leicester, who won the Premier League - but I want to be consistent."

"To get comfortable in being consistent and maybe contenders to get a trophy in those competitions. Then we have the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup - two ways to get something that'd make us happy.

"I signed here three and a half years when I arrived. I have been here one year and a half. In my contract there was an activation for the club for one year more - of course, I agree. This week the club activated, and I have three years more here and I want to continue the development - in myself as a coach as well.

"The club gave me a lot of confidence to create a structure, with the people around me, the coaches and workers. We've been demanding of the players, but the players have had to demand it themselves, to deserve to continue being a part of our project. Their commitment to play with desire and to get something more in the cupboard is everything I want."

Unai Emery.


"At the moment it is not enough as we have another challenge in front, we are in Europe but we want to fight.

"We face Tottenham who are trying to get Champions League now and that is the demand now.

"We are in the semi-final and we have to enjoy this of course, but today is a great match for the supporters and it is a great opportunity.

"It will be very difficult but we need all the supporters. We need to get our best performance playing 90 minutes."

"Chelsea was a favourite to be in the top four at the start of the season. I can understand a little bit of Chelsea, because they have young players. Very good players. They need experiences which they are taking.

"They beat Everton 6-0 two weeks ago. That is amazing. Of course, they lost the last match to Arsenal, but I can understand. Even Chelsea played well until the second goal and they had the possibility to get something against them.

"They played against Manchester City last week of the semi-final of the FA Cup and played amazing. They were very dangerous and threatened them deserving to win. This is the Chelsea I expect tomorrow against us.

"It is amazing motivation that we have. We are being realistic too and now we are contenders to get it [Champions League]. Five months, four months, three months, even one month ago you asked if we could be a contender to get the Champions League. I sent the same message that we weren’t. Now it is the day 34 and we are being in the table with the possibility to get it.

"We were excited with the possibility that fifth could be the Champions League qualification, but we lost it. We have to fight with Tottenham and it is going to be very difficult. The objective we have in front of us is a big step ahead. I am very proud of the work we have done, but we are adding another objective, which is to get a Champions League position.

"I am happy and I have a lot of work to do here. Progressively we are getting better, developing even our structure and the players, our mentality too. When I signed for three years and a half, I had a clause with another year.

“They activated it because I am happy and I agree. We are doing our process here, myself as a coach and with the players and the club, trying to get better. We are trying to get to a level with the clubs who are always contenders for the top seven in the Premier League.

"I include Newcastle in that. In the Premier League, there are other teams who have the potential, like Everton, West Ham, like Fulham, Brighton too. This is what I want to face, the best players, the best coaches. At Aston Villa I have this challenge every day, every month and every year. I have a lot of work to do here. Even after the process we have down we have to do more.

"Hopefully, that is the idea, but to really confirm it we will need time.”

We will need how we are progressing even after we are arriving here. We have here the possibility to be fifth or fourth but even getting the Champions League position, we have to confirm it in the next month, the next year, maybe even the next two years.

"To keep it for a long time is the confirmation we can make. There is one example in my career. When the owners were signing me and speaking about the project, telling me it was two years, three years. No, the project is the next match, to win.

"We can only consolidate the project if we are winning and really getting the short objective. We can speak about the project for three years ahead. But it is not realistic for me.

"As a coach, the project is the process you have in front and how you are adding or getting objectives in a short time. The project here was three years and a half but we needed to consolidate it each month, being trusting in our process and our way.

"We have in the Premier League the best teams, players and coaches. It is the best league in the world and the most difficult. There are other leagues with big clubs of course. Here overall it is not only seven teams who are contenders to be in the Champions League, it is others as well, like West Ham, Fulham, even Wolverhampton and other teams.

"Crystal Palace are playing now fantastic. They have three great forwards. It is difficult to see teams in Spain, Germany and Italy playing in the league in 10th position with those kind of players. That is the difficulty we are facing. Newcastle beat Tottenham 4-0 two weeks ago and last week lost to Crystal Palace.

"This is the reality. It is the reason I argue about being consistent, strongly. Even when we lost 5-1 we recovered our focus. Now when we can expect more, it is not my focus. It is to keep everything we are doing strongly and create a strong structure in everything. When we are working in the club, in the training ground, on the pitch.

"There is still a lot of work to do. If we can do it, we can get the consequences. Maybe it is like we are to be now, fourth, to try and face the teams in front - Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City. But it is very, very difficult. Of course, I can dream and I want to dream about being with them. But it is difficult.

"The level of Liverpool is amazing. Damia and Monchi were watching the match on Wednesday against Everton. They said the rhythm was fantastic and Liverpool played fantastic. But they lost! Why? Because Everton played fantastic. It is difficult. You know it, I know it.

"After knowing it is how we can get better. Getting better after the season we have had now is difficult but I want to continue getting better. That is the challenge, to get better."

Unai Emery pre-match.


“We're so close to achieving it. I’m telling the boys, 12 years I've been in professional football and have been watching the Champions League on the telly, now let's be part of that.

"There are a lot of them who have not been involved in it and they won't take it for granted. We're close now but there is still a long way to go.

"I looked at the points total about three months ago. I knew on average 72 points would get us close. But you can never guarantee anything. Tottenham are well capable of winning every single game.

"We don't really have a points target. In my mind I have a certain one, which I’m not going to share. But if we can get over 70 it will be very difficult for Tottenham but we know they are very capable as well.

“[Morgan Rogers’] confidence is growing, he's so strong, so powerful, he's even surprised me a bit when he first signed and his first time in training.

"But the last three or four games he's been outstanding. That's great to see, he's playing football with a smile on his face and I wish I was that good at his age.

“I’m quite a simple captain. I try to look at the way I play and not get involved in things that don't bother me.

"It was brilliant [mixing with the fans before kick off]. Home against Brighton we did the other route and we did it once before. It was a wee buzz to see people coming early. That drove us on today.

"The momentum - the welcome we got coming in help us, you can have all the sports science in the world but the adrenaline at Villa Park keeps you going.

"There a lot of players who have not been used to this kind of season.

”I played a 60-plus game season with Hibs five or six years ago. And it was actually good.

"It wasn't easy but you get in a rhythm. This stage of the season can be difficult the other way when you have Saturday, Saturday and nothing to play for. That's when the motivation drops sometimes. But we have everything to play for.

"We will hopefully get some players back soon. I don't know about that, I've been too busy to notice but we have got the legs, we proved and we have the speed, power and hunger to keep going. Hopefully we will carry on."

John McGinn, pre-match.


“We are very happy even with this point we achieved today because our way is being consistent. We have today 35 matches and 67 points. Analysing today the match we played of course against Chelsea, they were contenders in front of us to be in the top seven teams or to be even in the top five or top four. To have the difference like we have now in the table is really very difficult.

"They showed their power, they showed their capacity playing against us how they can compete imposing their game plan. We were today playing, being resilient and playing the first half brilliantly defensively. We created not a lot of chances but were being clinical to score two goals.

“Sometimes, sometimes we knew before because we achieved points we have to accept when the opponent is imposing their game plan, pushing us more than usually. And then, when the second half they came back the result, of course we were disappointed because with this advantage it’s difficult to lose.

“But, at the end, we have to be happy. At 67 points today we achieved Europa League for next year and we are still being contender with Tottenham to fight for the fourth position to the Champions League. This is the feeling now, I am really happy.

“Tomorrow we will test him [Emiliano Martinez], even with the injury of Youri Tielemans we have to wait for tomorrow. Hopefully it’s not a lot for both but I don’t know exactly.

“Emiliano Martinez is very important, it’s clear he’s saved us a lot but we believe in the players they are on the bench ready to play and each one with his characteristics, his quality. Robin, he helped us and saved us in the minute 90 man-to-man with Palmer. He was really fantastic as he helped us a lot today. A lot.

We have to accept the players being injured for a long time, like Tyrone Mings, Buendia, Kamara and even Jacob Ramsey. And for a short time like Nicolo Zaniolo, Alex Moreno.

“If Tielemans and Martinez are unavailable for one week, two weeks, three weeks we have to accept it and every situation we are passing for the season we are reacting. We are giving chances to other players to help us. It’s the moment for other players.

“We signed Morgan and it’s really fantastic how he’s progressing quick, being successful in the adaptation of us in our style and structure. There are other players like Tim, sometimes as well we have centre backs like Lenglet and Diego Carlos ready on the bench. We have to use our power, analysing, trying to focus each match. Always we are being successful when we have problems like now.

“[Morgan Rogers]’s helping us more than the expectation we have because his adaptation has been very quick and his qualities in our structure really are necessary to add. He’s being really competitive in every position I am trying to play with him – as a 10 number, eight number, inside or outside.

“[John McGinn] can play in different positions and his versatility is being always. When he’s being super John McGinn, he’s being super John McGinn in the middle as a midfielder, as a 10 number, as a winger. When he’s not playing as a super John McGinn, he’s the same as a 10 number, as a midfielder or as a winger. But his energy is always very important.

“His adaptation has always been positive and perfect in the different roles he can have in different positions.”

Unai Emery, post match.