Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has provided further insight into our objectives moving forward and responded to a question regarding transfers.
The Spanish tactician led us to a positive start after taking charge earlier this month, as we registered back-to-back Premier League wins ahead of the World Cup break.
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While he’ll now look forward to working with his players closely before domestic football resumes in late December, he’ll hope to continue to get his ideas and principles across to the squad and build on that impressive start as we search for consistency.
However, like the players who haven’t been called up on international duty for the World Cup, Emery is taking a short break as he attended the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai this week, and he was on hand to speak to the media after receiving a Coach Career award.
Emery on Villa roadmap
When asked about his plan to get Villa back on track, Emery responded: “My idea is to work hard, take confidence with a new project,” he told SmashiSports, as seen in the video below. “The next step ahead for us is to try to be in the top 10, then try to win a trophy in the future. Then, try to get [into] Europe with Aston Villa [in] the next years.”
It’s an excellent response from the Villa boss as ultimately it’s both ambitious and realistic in the sense that he is setting the bar high in terms of the end goal, but he fully appreciates that there are checkpoints and stages of our progression ahead.
Hopefully we can tick off the first objective this season with a top 10 finish, as that then gives Emery a solid foundation on which to build next summer and exert further influence.
Time will tell how long it takes for him to be competing at the level he wants to be at with us, but given his track record and his coaching qualities, there is genuine belief and hope that it’s achievable.
Emery on transfers
Meanwhile, Emery was then also asked about potential transfer targets ahead of the January transfer window, with the Villa boss remaining coy while also re-emphasising that his priority is to work with what he’s got currently and to improve those at his disposal.
“At the beginning we are trying to take confidence with the players that we have and help them to get to a higher level, and then we are going to try and add some new players.”
The Villa boss mentioned this several times after he was unveiled a fortnight ago, as he has a real belief that the current group have been underperforming and judging from his influence thus far, it’s clear that he can get more out of the squad when adding his tactical know-how and coaching ability to the mix.
It promises to be an intriguing January transfer window though as he will no doubt want to start stamping his mark on the Villa squad with his own players too, as he looks for solutions and individuals who fit his style.
Time will tell whether or not that backing comes in January or if we feel as though we have enough until the summer, while much also depends on who’s available too as we’ll surely prioritise quality transfer targets over just getting more numbers in the door.
Unai Emery shares his plans for @AVFCOfficial at the @Globe_Soccer awards in Dubai pic.twitter.com/I5uXHs9k3e
— Smashi Sports (@SmashiSports) November 17, 2022