Unai Emery describes Aston Villa-Chelsea relationship as hostile despite frequent player transfers

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. “Good relations? The relationship is only through the deals – for money, for other players,” he said.

“They want to kill us. 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. “I know we must rebuild the team,” Villa’s manager said.

“We will need time. 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. “Arsenal are the favourites,” the Basque said.

“Arsenal, looking at the team with Arteta there seven years in a row, are getting better and better and are investing more and more. They are getting bigger and bigger as a club with the players they can sign. Arteta is doing a fantastic job. Arsenal are the favourites to win the Premier League and to win the Champions League. I like watching them a lot.”

Emery said he is looking forward to the transfer window closing on Tuesday and conceded Villa’s preparations for the season were hampered by offers for key players. The exits of Martínez and Ollie Watkins to Al-Hilal mean six of Villa’s starting XI from their Europa League triumph in May will have left the club this summer.

“It doesn’t make sense to finish the transfer window on 1 September, and maybe for some teams like us, it’s more difficult, because when they are coming, more changes than normal, of course we are struggling to build a team to compete at the beginning of the season,” Emery said. “This year again I am wishing to finish the transfer window on 1 September and close the squad with the players I want.”