Unai Emery has given Aston Villa a massive boost by extending his contract as head coach until 2027.
The 52-year-old Spaniard joined from Villarreal in October 2022 and is on course to secure Champions League qualification while also reaching the Europa Conference League semi-finals.
Emery’s work has seen him linked to a number of vacancies elsewhere — however the former Arsenal boss has moved to end any speculation by committing his future to the Midlands side.
Villa intend to sit down with Emery this summer and prolong his terms even further, with ambitious owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens certain he can become their version of legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Villa later officially announced the news, with Emery saying: “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.
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“Ambition already is, and must always be, the motto of this project.”
Emery replaced Steven Gerrard at Villa in 2022 having won the Europa League the previous year with Villarreal.
That was a fourth Europa League win for Emery having lifted the trophy three times with Sevilla.
Villa currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, six points clear of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, with four games of their league season remaining.
They also face Olympiacos in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League with the hope of winning the club’s first trophy since 1996.
Chairman Nassef Sawiris added: “We are thrilled and are building a sporting operation around Unai to support him with a view of returning Aston Villa to its historic levels of greatness.”
Villa are next in action against Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
‘A huge boost for Villa’
Analysis from Aston Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell
This is, unquestionably, a huge boost for Villa. Owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris have given significant autonomy to Emery since he arrived, with his influence only strengthening last summer, following a rewire of the club’s hierarchy.
His ‘triangle of power’ which includes president of football operations Monchi and director of football Damian Vidagany, is in charge of the day-to-day running of Villa’s football department, with Emery also given the authority to bring in a Spanish-speaking contingent of over two dozen, working closely on first team matters.
The club has been built and directed in Emery’s image, afforded the type of power and environment that is geared towards his management style. It is why it was always unlikely he would be tempted by reported interest in him this summer.
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(Michael Regan/Getty Images)