Aston Villa have announced that Unai Emery has signed a contract extension with the club, as he puts pen to paper on a deal that will run until 2027.
Since taking charge in October 2022, Emery has overseen a tremendous rise with the club. He guided them to UEFA Europa Conference League qualification last season and then a place in the semi-finals of that competition this season.
They are now pursuing a place in the Champions League, sitting fourth with four matches to go.
“We are enjoying our way together with Villa fans, the club owners, management and this great group of players that we are proud of,” Emery said on the club's official website.
“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.”
Emery's impact
When Villa decided to let Steven Gerrard go as manager on 21 October 2022 they were 17th after 11 matches with nine points and out of the relegation zone on goals scored only.
Emery was appointed on 24 October and prior to his first match on 6 November - a superb 3-1 win against Manchester United - Villa were still marginally out of the bottom three.
From there, his side showed great consistency as they only lost six of their remaining 24 matches.
Overall, in the 59 matches he's overseen, Villa have produced a remarkable 115 points, and shown superb consistency at home, winning 21 of 30 matches.
Villa's record home and away under Emery
| Played | Won | Goal difference | Points | |
| Home | 30 | 21 | +29 | 66 |
| Away | 29 | 14 | +6 | 49 |
| Total | 59 | 35 | +35 | 115 |
His transformation of Villa's side has been incredible and since his first match in charge, only three teams have earned more points.
Clubs with most points since Emery's appointment
| Club | Played | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man City | 57 | +78 | 130 |
| Arsenal | 59 | +77 | 127 |
| Liverpool | 59 | +63 | 125 |
| Aston Villa | 59 | +35 | 115 |
One of Emery's best achievements was overseeing a 15-match winning run at home which started with a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on 4 March 2023.
They put six past Brighton & Hove Albion at the start of the 2023/24 season and secured outstanding wins in successive matches against the top two sides, Manchester City and Arsenal, at the start of December.
The victory against City was particularly impressive as Villa restricted the champions to just two shots on target, both of which came in the opening 15 minutes, and racked up 22 attempts on goal, the most shots they have conceded in a Premier League match under Pep Guardiola at the time.
Villa's run was the joint fourth-longest winning sequence in Premier League history.
Longest home winning runs
| Team | Start date | End date | No. of successive home wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 09/02/2019 | 05/07/2020 | 24 |
| Man City | 05/03/2011 | 21/03/2012 | 20 |
| Man Utd | 30/10/2010 | 01/10/2011 | 19 |
| Man City | 19/01/2023 | 04/11/2023 | 15 |
| Aston Villa | 04//03/2023 | 09/12/2023 | 15 |
The Spaniard has also the highest win percentage in the Premier League among Villa manager Villa, with 59.3 per cent, while his 1.95 points per game (PPG) is also better than any of his predecessors.
Emery's Premier League record compared with past Villa managers
| Manager | PPG | Win ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Unai Emery | 1.95 | 59.3% |
| John Gregory | 1.55 | 41.2% |
| Martin O'Neill | 1.55 | 40.1% |
| Brian Little | 1.45 | 39.2% |