Unai Emery has said Aston Villa and Chelsea are enemies rather than friends, insisting the clubs want to “kill” each other despite regularly doing business in recent years. Emiliano Martínez became the latest player to move between the teams, after Chelsea paid £117m to sign Morgan Rogers from Villa this summer. Nicolas Jackson, who could become Villa’s record signing after joining in a deal worth up to £65m, and Alejandro Garnacho both joined Villa from Chelsea in this window, the latter on a loan deal with a conditional obligation to buy.
The fee for Rogers was a record for a British player, while the clubs agreed a £7.5m deal for Martínez, who for a second successive season expressed his desire to leave Villa Park. Austin MacPhee, the set-piece coach who was among a trio of Emery’s core staff to leave this summer, also joined Chelsea from Villa. Last year, Villa signed Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea and in 2024 paid £37.5m to sign Ian Maatsen permanently from the London club.
Carney Chukwuemeka and Omari Kellyman, now of Borussia Dortmund and Strasbourg respectively, moved in the opposite direction in previous seasons, in 2022 and 2024 respectively. Emery played down the notion that Villa enjoy good relations with Chelsea. The relationship is only through the deals – for money, for other players,” he said.
And we want to kill them … it is not a good relationship. Of course, because we have good players and we can as well sign players from them, but it’s not a good relationship, it’s a deal for money and a deal for players. And they will want to kill us.
They are signing Morgan, they are signing Emiliano Martínez to kill us … I am happy for Emiliano Martínez, I am happy for Morgan Rogers and, of course, I know I am not happy for Chelsea.” Villa, who host Arsenal on Monday hoping to bounce back from a chastening 4-0 defeat at Brighton, have outperformed Chelsea in recent seasons. Villa will play in the Champions League for the second time in three seasons, while Chelsea missed out on qualifying for European competition altogether last campaign. Emery could hand Jackson, Leon Goretzka – who won the Champions League with Bayern Munich 2020 – and Zion Suzuki debuts at Villa Park.
But we must compete on Monday. We needed to compete last Sunday in Brighton but we didn’t compete. We are working every day as fast as possible to be ready, everybody.” Emery, who spent 18 months in charge of Arsenal, praised the work of his successor, Mikel Arteta, and believes his former club are favourites to retain the Premier League and win the Champions League, a trophy that has eluded them.
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