Aston Villa boss has shared how his team and a Premier League rival have a dark relationship, despite their dealings in the transfer window.
Aston Villa’s transfer business has been busier than last summer. Interestingly, their business this season has been closely related to Chelsea. Their number-one goalkeeper last season, Emiliano Martinez, is the latest player to move to Stamford Bridge for £7.5 million. He followed his teammate Morgan Rogers, who switched sides for a British transfer record of £117 million, as well as set-piece coach Austin MacPhee.
On the contrary, Villa have also just signed Nicolas Jackson for £65 million after securing Alejandro Garnacho on a loan deal with a conditional obligation to buy.
It looks like both clubs are having a good business relationship. Yet, Unai Emery disagrees, as reported by The Guardian.
“Good relations? The relationship is only through the deals – for money, for other players.”
Emery surely sees the connection between the two teams differently from the management, as he continued his comments.
“They want to kill us. And we want to kill them … it is not a good relationship. Of course, because we have good players and we can as well sign players from them, but it’s not a good relationship, it’s a deal for money and a deal for players. And they will want to kill us. They are signing Morgan, they are signing Emiliano Martínez to kill us … I am happy for Emiliano Martínez, I am happy for Morgan Rogers and, of course, I know I am not happy for Chelsea.”
For the Spaniard, as most football managers see it, losing key men is always upsetting, and it is even more frustrating when they are lost to a rival. Football is often seen as a war, and that is Emery’s dark perspective on the connection between Aston Villa and Chelsea.
In contrast, from the management’s point of view, it is simply a business deal which has nothing to do with any dark conflict. Both teams have never been bitter rivals on and off the pitch like Barcelona and Real Madrid, for example.
In fact, one reason behind those smooth transfers involving players is believed to be the strong connection between The Lions’ co-owner Nassef Sawiris and Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali.
Moreover, it is not the first time that both teams have worked on deals involving more than one player. Back in 2024, Villa managed to acquire Ian Maatsen and Axel Disasi from Chelsea, while The Blues snatched Carney Chukwuemeka and Omari Kellyman in 2022 and 2024.
Many fans wonder whether these transfers could breach financial rules. Ideally, clubs could not complete more than one transfer involving each other within 45 days. It is one of the points in UEFA’s regulations. The transfers could also be considered ‘transfer swaps’, which could affect the profit recognised by both clubs, especially Aston Villa, who are expecting a record sale profit from the Morgan Rogers deal.
Nevertheless, each transfer has not been registered as part of a swap but rather as a separate deal. Such arrangements could have to be explained by both teams to avoid further fines or sanctions.
The management of The Clarets and Blue would have to take care of the matter when the European football governing body inquiries about the details.
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