Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has openly acknowledged the club's financial limitations in the transfer market compared to their Premier League rivals, but passionately insists the project at Villa Park is building "something special" regardless.
Villa's remarkable rise on a budget
Since Emery's arrival, Aston Villa's net spend has ranked lower than most clubs in the division. Despite this, the team has consistently competed for Champions League football over the past two seasons and continues to do so in the current campaign.
After 21 matches, Villa hold third place in the Premier League, sitting comfortably inside the top five. They also remain strong contenders for silverware, having been installed as early favourites to win the Europa League this season.
The club's ambition was underlined last term with a run to the Champions League quarter-finals, where they pushed eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain to the limit in a thrilling second leg at Villa Park.
Emery's defiant message on transfer power
The January transfer window highlighted the challenge. Villa saw a move for England midfielder Conor Gallagher hijacked by Tottenham Hotspur, a stark example of the financial muscle possessed by some competitors.
Emery, however, refuses to be downbeat. "We have our own way, and we are confident. We have very good players," the Spaniard stated. "We are a huge club, we have fantastic supporters. Villa Park is special, it’s a fortress. But we don’t have the potential to sign, for example, Manchester City signing [a player like] Semenyo. Like Tottenham signing Gallagher. Okay."
He emphasised a different source of strength: "But we have our own power and we will exploit our capacity. We are positive and we have enough positive energy to get to the challenges that we have - without the power another team can have."
Focus turns to Everton challenge
When asked if Villa are now genuine contenders, Emery was pragmatic. "We are not contenders! There are other teams with more capacity than us. But we are competing with them," he said.
He credited the squad's mentality for their lofty position: "Now on game 22, we are third. Why? Because the players are responding fantastically to the work we are doing. We are creating something special here. More than the capacity to buy everything we want."
Emery's immediate focus is on Sunday's Premier League fixture against Everton, where Villa will target a 12th consecutive home win. The Toffees have failed to beat Villa in 13 league attempts since their return to the top flight in 2019.
"We’re focusing on this match after 10 days of not playing a match in the Premier League," Emery explained. "We must remind ourselves of the importance of this competition – it’s the priority for us. How we are now, third, and how we are competing to be in the top positions, and how we must be demanding to keep it for the next months."
The manager concluded with a clear directive: "The next step forward is Everton and we must focus, respect them, analyse them, and deeply prepare the match to beat them."
