Aston Villa have publicly announced that Unai Emery is dedicated to remaining beyond his existing contract following constructive talks with club officials. The Spaniard has been heavily linked with taking over from Michael Carrick at Manchester United, but Villa appear to be working to keep him in place for the foreseeable future.
Emery will be at Old Trafford this weekend as United welcome Villa in Premier League action. A 3-0 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday and a draw with Fulham last Saturday mean Villa travel north needing a positive result before the November international break.
Despite a difficult run of results, Emery has established himself during a four-year tenure with Villa, which has prompted talks between the 55-year-old, chairman Nassef Sawiris, and club officials Roberto Olabe and Damian Vidagany over locking down his long-term future. Villa confirmed that a meeting between all of those parties took place on Wednesday with what the club described as "positive discussions".
Villa's statement, published via The Mirror, read: "Aston Villa held an important working meeting today to plan the club's future and lay the foundations for its long-term sporting and institutional project. The meeting brought together Nassef Sawiris, the club's Chairman and Unai Emery alongside President of Football Operations Roberto Olabe and Director of Football Operations Damian Vidagany. The discussions focused on jointly planning the club's long-term strategic direction, with positive discussions establishing a clear commitment beyond 2029 for the joint development of the club under the sporting leadership of Unai Emery based on the shared ambitions and common goal to reach excellency and keep growing during the next years. The objective is clear: to build an ambitious, competitive Aston Villa capable of taking on the biggest challenges and achievements."
Emery signed a five-year contract extension in May 2024, 18 months after joining the club, and it appears he intends to remain at the helm heading into the next decade. According to The Telegraph, Emery is in advanced negotiations over a new deal at Villa, which would put an end to speculation linking him with a move to United. The report added that it would have cost United £20 million ($26.9 million) to release him from his current contract.
United are still weighing up a change in the dugout, having secured just two victories all season prior to Tuesday's 3-2 comeback win over AS Roma. Villa and Emery now travel to a buoyant Old Trafford, where another win for the hosts would likely keep Carrick in his position beyond the forthcoming international break, which is when plans had been drawn up to evaluate his performances.
