I think Aston Villa can compete for the Premier League title under Unai Emery

The Claret & Blue podcast crew have been talking up Aston Villa's chances of competing for a Premier League title under Unai Emery

The sky's the limit for Unai Emery at Aston Villa after he has already admitted that competing with the Premier League title challengers must be the club's ambition.

Under the Spaniard, Villa returned to European football with a seventh-placed finish in 2022/23 and then secured qualification for the Champions League last season. Beating Manchester City and Bayern Munich at home as well as doing the double over Arsenal are highlights in the past year, while Villa also reached the semi-final of the Europa Conference League in May.

Since Emery's arrival nearly two years ago, only City, Arsenal and Liverpool have won more points than Villa in the Premier League. As the club plans to go from strength to strength, on the Claret & Blue podcast, host Dan Rolinson and Mat Kendrick spoke about whether Villa can actually compete for a league title under Emery in the coming years. You can read the transcript below and watch the podcast too.

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Mat: "I do think that Aston Villa challenging for the title within five years, I think that's an ambition that we absolutely should have. I think if Villa are to establish themselves as a top four team over that period, which is easier said than done, I mean, I still think that's the biggest challenge that we've got. If we're establishing ourselves in the top four for the next five years, the title challenge could happen within any of those years."

Dan: "If you're in the top four consistently, you’re not actually a million miles away from winning the league. Perhaps Villa won’t actually win it, but to be in the conversation of, you know, when Sky Sports put a graphic together of who's in the running and the remaining fixtures left, you’ve got City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Villa are part of this as well because points wise, you might only be nine away from the top or something and your games are playing a part then."

Mat: "So I think it's something that should definitely be on the horizon and definitely be on our wish list. It's so difficult. I think we've seen it with Newcastle last year who dared to challenge the elite and then found out that to be equipped to challenge on those fronts then you need a reserve team that is as strong as your first team. So I think let's just get ourselves set in the top six for 3 or 4 years. And you know, the more often that you do that, the rewards will come. Financially, you’ll be able to strengthen your squad. But I do absolutely think that we should be aiming to challenge in the next five years."

Dan: "Aston Villa could be totally different again in five years time, maybe it won’t be a challenge for a title we’re talking about, maybe we have actually won the thing! So much can change so quickly."

Mat: "So the biggest fear is this can all end as quickly as it started and in five years time we're down on our luck, like a lottery winner that’s blown it all. You know, at the moment, the Champions League banners in the background and the music is like the yachts and that big oversized cheque, but I can see you doing the montage, it cuts to grey and the Villa scarf is in a puddle, in the gutter. It's really interesting as a fan base, as a squad, as a club, we want to wear it well. We want to believe that this is the right thing for us. But where does that tip over into entitlement? It's a really delicate balance for me. You've just got to try and stay that right level of humility."

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