Unai Emery says Aston Villa can be 'close' to Arsenal and Manchester City after Europa League success - 'We must be so demanding'
Updated 21/05/2026 at 11:42 GMT+1
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Aston Villa's Unai Emery has set his sights on closing the gap to Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester City after guiding his side to UEFA Europa League glory.
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Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers scored for Villa in their comfortable 3-0 win over Freiburg in the final in Istanbul.
It's a fifth Europa League success for Emery, who has transformed Villa in his three-and-a-half years in charge.
Now he's looking towards the future, telling TNT Sports: "I am myself ambitious, and, of course, I need support. The owners, everyone that works in the club. The players, and they are following us. We are doing it together.
"Every step forward we are doing makes sense. This final is confirmation of how we are progressing.
"Next year we will play in Champions League, and this is the challenge. The Premier League is the most difficult league in the world.
"To be fighting top seven, top five, top four is something very difficult. Hopefully, we can be close with teams like [Manchester] City and Arsenal."
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Emery swarmed by adoring Villa players on way to collecting medal
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It is clear that Emery sees this as a project at Villa, with plenty still to come.
His team will again play in the UEFA Champions League next season, a place they had already sealed with victory over Liverpool in the Premier League last week.
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Emery spoke some more on TNT Sports about the current growth in all aspects of the club.
"The club is working to extend the stadium - 10,000 people more," Emery said.
"We are changing a little bit [to the] the training centre. We are trying to be demanding inside. Playing in Europe, Conference League, Champions League, Europa League, next year we're going to play again in Champions League.
"It makes sense how we're getting this development with the players, extending their contracts. But it's important we must be so, so demanding in our process, in our project.
"The project can only make sense if we are winning, if we are getting our objectives during this process."
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Let the celebrations begin! Villa lift the Europa League trophy
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Emery also told TNT Sports after the match that Villa approached the Europa League with the utmost seriousness, and that paid off.
"Europe, it gave us a lot. For myself as well - a lot. I'm always very grateful for Europe. For every competition, but especially the Europa League," Emery said.
"As well as the clubs I work at, because they show the way, as well the support I had with Valencia, with Sevilla, with Villarreal and here at Villa.
"The owners, the players. It's very important how everybody, we got strongly this competition, and we tried to get our best. We played it in a very serious way this year - so, so focused.
"And, of course, the players they show their wishes. I was telling them in there, we need wishes, we need seriousness in this competition. To show on the field that you are the protagonist - and they did it."
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Highlights: Villa claim Europa League crown to create new chapter in club’s history
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Villa's first goal scored by Tielemans came from a brilliant set-piece effort, and Emery was quick to give credit where it's due, to Villa's set-piece coach Austin MacPhee.
"Austin is a really fantastic creator," Emery added. "We must be so so demanding in our details. Austin is fantastic. Everything we are working on makes sense.
"The hours in each training session each day to try to get as best as possible our challenges in set-pieces. When we are scoring like that, of course, we are proud of what we're doing.
"We are practising it. Austin, I believe a lot in set pieces. You can win a lot of matches through it. Congratulations to Austin for how he does his job. We are sharing everything, our experiences. But he is the creator for this action."
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