Unai Emery has committed his long-term future to Aston Villa by signing a five-year contract extension.
In his first full season at Villa Park, Emery led his side to a top four finish, securing qualification for the Champions League in the process. His work in the Midlands had seen him emerge as a potential contender for the Bayern Munich job, but Emery has now decided to remain in his current post.
Villa confirmed the news in a statement. It read: "Aston Villa are thrilled to announce Manager Unai Emery has agreed a new five-year contract. The Spaniard guided the Club to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season, securing Champions League football for the first time in our history.
"Completely transforming the fortunes of the Club since his arrival in 2022, Unai steered the side from 17th in the table to 7th during his first campaign in charge, bringing European football back to Villa for the first time in 13 years."
Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in the Villa dugout back in November 2022, winning 44 of his 83 games in charge. He has the best win percentage of any manager in Villa's history and also led them into the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League this season.
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Their qualification for the Champions League means Villa will play in Europe's premier competition for the first time since 1983. The Spaniard revealed his delight at the news.
“I am very happy to take this step and the responsibility of leading this club. Since I came to Villa with Wes and Nassef we found always the best environment and structure to develop a project with the highest ambition," Emery said.
Emery guided Villa into the top four this season (Offside via Getty Images)“All the football structure with Monchi and Damian and the owners, we share the same vision and same goals. There’s a great chemistry in Aston Villa. And the element of the fans’ support also makes the difference to feel like home. We are really excited to continue this journey with no limits to our dreams.”
Villa are also pleased to tie down their boss until at least 2029. Chairman Nassef Sawiris pointed to the project that Villa are building under Emery's management as one of the key reasons behind rewarding the manager.
“We are building something special here at Aston Villa with Unai at its core and we are delighted that he has signed a new deal with the club until 2029," he said.
“As we move into our historic, 150th anniversary year, there is a lot to look forward to with Unai at the helm.”
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