Aston Villa manager Unai Emery struck a confident and relaxed tone ahead of his side's Super Cup meeting with Paris Saint-Germain, insisting the club can continue its upward trajectory despite a turbulent summer of departures.
Speaking to reporters at the Red Bull Arena on the eve of the fixture, Emery appeared at ease as he begins his fourth full season at the helm, even joking about his improving grasp of English and playfully mimicking captain John McGinn during the press conference. Beneath the light-hearted exchanges, though, the Spaniard was clearly attuned to the scrutiny surrounding his squad following a busy transfer window.
"You ask about the changes of coaches and players, but McGinn is intelligent and his answer was fantastic," Emery said. "When he arrived here [in 2018] they were in the Championship and every year since there have been changes and still the club has moved forward. If we compare ourselves to other clubs like Man City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, we are competing with them. We don't have their power … yet."
Villa have seen several key figures leave in recent months. Morgan Rogers departed for Chelsea in a deal worth £117m, just two and a half years after Emery had sanctioned an £8m move to bring him in from Middlesbrough. Youri Tielemans, who arrived on a free transfer and grew into one of Emery's most trusted midfielders, was sold for £35m. Lucas Digne also returned to PSG, the club he could face again on his second debut against his former employers, having been replaced at left-back by £38m signing Ian Maatsen. Villa's coaching staff has also been affected, with set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee among those to leave the club.
Despite the upheaval, McGinn was adamant that Villa's ambitions remain unchanged. "Similar to where it has been in the past few seasons," he said when asked about expectations for the new campaign. "I think we have consistently competed with the best in England, the best in Europe, no matter what the competition is. We will have our challenges. There is a lot of change, but when you look at other clubs around England there is a lot of change there as well: a lot of coaches changing, a lot of players changing.
"But what we still have is our main core, same manager, same methods, same desire to achieve more. A lot of people thought we had reached our ceiling a couple of seasons ago, and we proved them wrong. We have still got the same hunger and desire to go and achieve more. Our job is just to integrate the new players and try and make them believe, in the same way the players in the last few seasons have believed. I'm really excited by the sort of 'new Aston Villa'."
Emery also touched on the growing stature of the club, pointing to its ambitions off the pitch as well as on it. Villa Park is reportedly being expanded toward a 50,000 capacity, while the club continues to balance player sales with reinvestment to sustain competitiveness in the Premier League.
"The Premier League is the best league in the world and Aston Villa can now have better brands in the way we are," Emery said. "I am so, so, so happy how the club is committed together with us. [I am so happy] with how we are getting better, keeping our consistency in the Premier League … the club is making a huge effort to try to be in the same direction as me. We are increasing our budget through good results on the pitch, by sometimes selling some players and being consistent like we are, and as well expecting a high level, like we are more or less keeping."
Having previously managed PSG himself, Emery is well aware of the club's growing global brand, which now extends beyond football through commercial ventures such as its Oxford Street megastore. The two sides last met in a dramatic Champions League quarter-final 16 months ago, when Villa won 3-2 at home but were eliminated on aggregate after a string of saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma denied them a place in extra time.
Ahead of the Super Cup clash in Salzburg, backed by around 6,000 travelling supporters, Emery made clear his side's hunger remains undiminished. "I am feeling comfortable, happy, very demanding, even more than the last years," he said. "We want more. We are not stopping here."
Based on reporting from The Guardian.