Unai Emery has expressed confidence that Aston Villa can overcome a summer of significant player and staff departures as they prepare to face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday. Speaking at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, the Villa manager appeared relaxed and upbeat, cracking jokes about his improving English and playfully impersonating captain John McGinn during the pre-match press conference.
Emery's Positive Outlook Amid Squad Changes
Emery, entering his fourth full season at Villa, addressed the wave of questions about the club's transition with a smile. "You ask about the changes of coaches and players, but McGinn is intelligent and his answer was fantastic," he said. "When he arrived here [in 2018] they were in the Championship and every year since there have been changes and still the club has moved forward."
He emphasized Villa's progress relative to top Premier League rivals: "If we compare ourselves to other clubs like Man City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, we are competing with them. We don't have their power … yet." His enthusiasm is likely to reassure supporters concerned about the scale of the task.
Key Departures and New Challenges
Villa have sold Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, and Lucas Digne, with Digne returning to PSG and potentially making his second debut against his former club. The club could face further tests if Arsenal make a serious bid for Ezri Konsa, who, along with Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martínez, remains on holiday after World Cup duty. Three key coaching staff have also left, including set-piece coach Austin MacPhee. However, Emery, described by McGinn as the "beating heart" of the operation, remains in charge.
McGinn delivered a punchy response when asked about expectations for the upcoming campaign: "Similar to where it has been in the past few seasons. I think we have consistently competed with the best in England, the best in Europe, no matter what the competition is. We will have our challenges. There is a lot of change, but when you look at other clubs around England there is a lot of change there as well: a lot of coaches changing, a lot of players changing."
He added: "But what we still have is our main core, same manager, same methods, same desire to achieve more. A lot of people thought we had reached our ceiling a couple of seasons ago, and we proved them wrong. We have still got the same hunger and desire to go and achieve more. Our job is just to integrate the new players and try and make them believe, in the same way the players in the last few seasons have believed. I'm really excited by the sort of 'new Aston Villa'."
Financial Gains and Growing Ambition
Villa did not want to lose Rogers, who joined Chelsea for £117m, two and a half years after Emery asked the club to pay £8m for him from Middlesbrough. Tielemans, who became one of Emery's undroppables after a slow start, was sold for £35m despite arriving on a free transfer. Digne, a reliable performer, lost his left-back spot to £38m signing Ian Maatsen, but his sale to PSG represents another significant fee.
Emery highlighted the leverage Villa have gained from their recent successes, including a memorable Champions League quarter-final against PSG 16 months ago, where a 3-2 second-leg victory at Villa Park nearly forced extra time, only for Gianluigi Donnarumma to make three superb saves and Willian Pacho to block a goal-bound volley from Maatsen with 28 seconds remaining.
"The Premier League is the best league in the world and Aston Villa can now have better brands in the way we are," Emery said. "I am so, so, so happy how the club is committed together with us. [I am so happy] with how we are getting better, keeping our consistency in the Premier League … the club is making a huge effort to try to be in the same direction as me. They are trying to extend Villa Park to achieve 50,000 supporters next season. We are increasing our budget through good results on the pitch, by sometimes selling some players and being consistent like we are, and as well expecting a high level, like we are more or less keeping."
Facing PSG and the Road Ahead
Emery, who spent two years in charge of PSG, understands the commercial power of the Parisian club, which now operates as a global brand, with a megastore on London's Oxford Street. PSG's chief executive, Victoriano Melero, has spoken of competing with Real Madrid on the pitch and brands like the LA Lakers and Ferrari off it. Salzburg is the latest destination on Villa's quest for success, with 6,000 Villa fans traveling to support the team. The stadium facade is adorned with images of McGinn and teammates celebrating their Europa League win in Istanbul in May.
"I am feeling comfortable, happy, very demanding, even more than the last years," Emery said. "We want more. We are not stopping here."
