Emery says Aston Villa and Chelsea are enemies who want to kill each other

Unai Emery made it clear on Monday that Aston Villa and Chelsea should not be considered friends just because they keep doing business together. The Spanish manager insisted the two clubs see each other as rivals and want to kill each other every time they meet.

The latest move between the clubs has been Emiliano Martinez's switch from Villa Park to Chelsea. It came after Chelsea paid £117m for Morgan Rogers, a deal that made the England international the most expensive British player in history. Going the other way, Nicolas Jackson joined Villa in a transfer worth up to £65m, which could make him the club's record signing, while Alejandro Garnacho arrived on loan with a conditional obligation to buy.

• Emery says Aston Villa and Chelsea are enemies, not friends, and both clubs want to kill each other on the pitch.
• Emiliano Martinez and Morgan Rogers have moved from Villa Park to Stamford Bridge this summer.
• Nicolas Jackson, Garnacho, Ian Maatsen and Axel Disasi are part of the long list of players exchanged between the clubs.
• Leon Goretzka and Zion Suzuki could make their Aston Villa debuts against Arsenal at Villa Park.
• Emery sees Arteta's Arsenal as the favourites to win both the Premier League and the Champions League.

Emery's blunt verdict on Aston Villa and Chelsea's relationship

Emery played down any suggestion that the two clubs enjoy a warm relationship because of the number of transfers completed in recent years. He explained that their connection is purely based on money and player exchanges. 'They want to kill us. And we want to kill them,' the Basque manager said, dismissing any idea of friendship between the two clubs.

Good relations? The relationship is only through the deals, for money, for other players. They want to kill us. And we want to kill them.

The Villa manager admitted that Chelsea signed Rogers and Emiliano Martinez with the clear intention of weakening his squad and gaining an advantage in every competition. While he said he was happy for both players and what they achieved at Villa, he made it clear that seeing them in Chelsea blue brings him no personal joy.

Every recent transfer between Aston Villa and Chelsea

The flow of players between Stamford Bridge and Villa Park has become a familiar pattern in recent seasons. In 2024, Aston Villa paid £37.5m to sign Ian Maatsen on a permanent deal from Chelsea. A year earlier, Axel Disasi moved from London to Birmingham on loan.

There have also been notable moves in the opposite direction. Carney Chukwuemeka left Aston Villa for Chelsea in 2022, and Omari Kellyman followed the same path in 2024. Austin MacPhee, the set-piece specialist who was part of Emery's close circle, also left Villa Park this summer to join Chelsea's coaching staff.

Potential debuts for Jackson, Goretzka and Suzuki against Arsenal

Aston Villa host Arsenal on Monday looking to bounce back from a chastening 4-0 defeat at Brighton. Emery could hand first appearances to Nicolas Jackson, Leon Goretzka, who won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2020, and Zion Suzuki. The manager acknowledged that the team is going through a rebuilding process and will need time, but he demanded an immediate competitive response.

Villa's preparations for the season have been disrupted by offers for several key players. With Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins leaving for Al-Hilal, six members of the starting XI that won the Europa League in May will have departed the club by the end of the summer.

Emery names Arsenal as Premier League and Champions League favourites

Emery, who spent 18 months in charge of Arsenal, praised the work of his successor Mikel Arteta and named his former club as the leading candidates to win both the Premier League and the Champions League, the trophy that has eluded them. The Basque highlighted Arsenal's constant growth, sustained investment in the market and the tactical evolution of a squad he considers increasingly complete.

Emery's frustration with the transfer window deadline

The Aston Villa manager also criticised the fact that the transfer window closes on September 1, arguing that it harms teams like his own that undergo significant squad changes during the summer. Emery explained that building a competitive team at the start of the season is particularly difficult when offers arrive for key players, forcing a restructure once the campaign is already underway.

The Spanish coach's clear wish is for the window to close as soon as possible so he can work with a settled squad and no distractions. In the meantime, Aston Villa face Arsenal under pressure to prove that, despite the rebuild, they remain a side capable of competing with the biggest clubs in the Premier League.