Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has described the summer spending by the Premier League's 'big six' as "crazy" and "unbelievable," while acknowledging the significant squad turnover at Villa Park as the club prepares for another demanding season domestically and in Europe.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the season opener against Brighton, Emery addressed questions about the volume and quality of players lost from his squad this summer, even as rivals continue to strengthen. Villa have sold several key players, including Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa and Youri Tielemans, while Emi Martinez and Ollie Watkins could both depart in the coming days.
Emery on 'crazy' spending by rivals
When asked about the spending of some Premier League clubs, Emery chuckled and said: "It is crazy! It's unbelievable, but it is like that. Economically, they have the capacity to do it."
He added: "The Premier League is crazy and today maybe I will go to my office and I will see again another signing like that. The last one was Tottenham with Savinho. This is fantastic for the Premier League and we are involved in it. Every day I am working harder and thank you to everything which football is giving me."
The comments come as Villa prepare for a hectic final week of the summer transfer window. The club has recently signed Matteo Ruggeri, Zion Suzuki and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis has been targeted to replace Konsa. Villa are also in talks to sign free agent Leon Goretzka.
Emery remains positive despite changes
Despite the upheaval, Emery struck an optimistic tone about the club's direction. "So, so happy. I am so, so happy because these are the consequences of performing fantastically," he said. "The team, the players are performing at a high level and they are getting offers from teams to change their challenges and of course getting a good deal with the clubs."
He continued: "For me as a coach, my first target as a coach, since I started working, is to improve players, to improve teams, to have collectively our objectives and then individually the players through their development. When I or the club is then achieving it, I'm feeling really proud of the work we did."
Emery acknowledged the difficulty of the situation but reaffirmed Villa's ambitions. "Yes, it's difficult, but we are Aston Villa. We are challenging each year to be in the top positions, we are challenging to play in Europe, and we are getting it. We are challenging to adapt quickly in the changes we can have," he said.
Consequences of three years of progress
The Villa boss recognised that this summer's turnover is a direct result of the club's recent success. "This year more [challenges] but OK. Last year we had changes, three years ago as well. Of course, when we are getting our best performances collectively and individually, we are getting them in the last three years," he explained.
"This year is when maybe the consequence after three years is more than last year or two years ago with the changes, because they are calling our players and they are getting good deals with the clubs. This is something in our process we knew and that we are doing."
With the transfer window closing soon, Villa face a race to complete their incoming business while managing potential departures of key players like Martinez and Watkins. The club's ability to adapt quickly will be tested as they aim to maintain their top-four challenge and European campaign.
