Unai Emery has extended his stay at Aston Villa to the delight of the fans.
Given that there are some high-profile jobs available this summer – Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Barcelona – there were some murmurs.
But Aston Villa have put all of that to bed by announcing on Tuesday that Emery has extended his stay.
To think that the team was hovering above the Premier League’s relegation zone when he arrived.
Yet, fast forward to the present and there is now every chance that Champions League football will return to the second city next season.
READ MORE: Aston Villa fans react to Andy Goldstein comments on Unai Emery
The brains behind it all has been Emery because he has transformed the club and the players from top to bottom.
But what is the ceiling for Villa? Michael Owen thinks they just don’t have to stop at finishing in the top four.
The former England striker has labelled the man in Villa’s dugout as an ‘all-round manager’ whose career is littered with trophies, as he told Premier League Productions (21/04/24 at 7:15 pm).
But he also thinks, come next season and beyond, that Villa can push for the Premier League title.
Can Aston Villa challenge for the Premier League title?
“They were showing signs last season that they were getting better under Emery and now this season he has just had a clear run at it, with one or two signings as well,” said Owen.
“There are so many ways a manager can show their worth. Certain managers can only work if they have a lot of money and they are very good at selecting players. Some are brilliant on a shoestring and if you give them money, they aren’t very good at it. Some can improve players. I think this guy certainly can. He feels a bit of an all-round manager. He can win trophies as well. He has a career littered with trophies. He is in a semi-final as well, another European competition. He is incredible in Europe.
“You actually think ‘wow if you keep improving’. I am sure he will have a bit of money to spend in the summer. Could they be challenging for league titles? You look at the league, they aren’t many points behind the top three. Only a handful of points. After another summer of building the squad and getting his ideas across, then who knows? Next season again!”
Unai Emery – Manager of the Season
Given how Emery is going, he should be well on course to claim this prize and end the season as the best manager.
From sealing Champions League football and winning the Europa Conference League. They are all realistic targets.
And if it happens, no one can argue about Emery winning the Manager of the Season award.
When he was at Arsenal, he missed out on the top four by one point and then lost the Europa League final.
Well, this is now the time to put all of that to bed just from his own individual perspective.
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