Unai Emery signs new Aston Villa deal as head coach until 2027 ahead of Chelsea clash in Premier League

Unai Emery has committed his future to Aston Villa by signing a contract extension as head coach until 2027.

The former Arsenal boss has done a hugely impressive job at Villa since joining from Villarreal in October 2022.

Villa are on course to qualify for the UEFA Champions League and are in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Emery told the club website: “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.”

Emery took over at Villa from Steven Gerrard with the club in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Emery won his first game in charge against Manchester United and went on to secure a seventh-place finish in his first season.

Chairman Sawiris said: “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.”

Villa are currently fourth in the Premier League table, six points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham, who have two games in hand.

They will face Olympiacos in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League as they bid to win their first trophy since 1996. Both legs of the semi-final will be shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Villa next face Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday evening, also live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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