Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has extended his contract with the club until 2027.
When the Spaniard took over from Steven Gerrard in November 2022, Villa found themselves in a relegation battle, sitting 16th in the Premier League.
Fast forward to this season, they currently occupy the fourth spot in the Premier League standings, with aspirations of securing Champions League qualification. They maintain a six-point lead over Tottenham, who have two games in hand.
Renowned for his expertise in European competition, particularly the Europa League, Emery has also steered Aston Villa into a semi-final in the Conference League, where they will face Greek side Olympiakos with the hope of reaching a first European final since 1982.
Emery won the Europa League in three consecutive seasons with Sevilla before also lifting the trophy in 2021 with Villarreal.
He then spent 18 months in charge of Arsenal, which was considered to be unsuccessful by his standards. The Gunners finished fifth in the Premier League and lost the 2019 Europa League final to Chelsea.
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However, he has done a remarkable job of turning around Villa’s fortunes this campaign.
Aston Villa have accumulated 115 points in the Premier League since his appointment bettered by Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Emery has the best points-per-game record of any Villa manager in the Premier League era (1.95 per game), achieving 35 wins in 59 games (59%).
The Birmingham club take on Chelsea, Brighton, Liverpool and Crystal Palace in their final four league matches this season as they continue their bid to compete in Europe’s top competition for the first time since the 1982-83 season.