Unai Emery's new Aston Villa Contract Proves the Club's Champions League Ambitions

Aston Villa's announcement regarding Unai Emery's future on Wednesday was a little unusual, particularly when you consider that the club didn't actually confirm a new contract had been signed, but it was clearly designed to send a message about the manager's future following weeks of speculation linking him with Manchester United.

I was joined on 1874 by The Athletic's Aston Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell, who was able to provide some further information about the situation, having actually hinted that something was happening when he last appeared on the channel a couple of weeks ago. I managed to completely miss what he was getting at during that conversation, although judging by the reaction afterwards, pretty much everybody watching had worked out that Jacob was suggesting a new contract was on the way.

Jacob explained that he had known since the Europa League final that Villa intended to extend Emery's contract, with his information becoming more concrete over the last month. He had been reluctant to report it prematurely because, until everything is agreed, there is always the possibility of somebody changing their mind or circumstances developing that could affect the negotiations.

He also revealed that The Athletic had been preparing to report the story this week, but Villa's announcement came before they had the opportunity to do so.

I asked Jacob how long he expected the new agreement to run and whether it had already been signed. He wasn't prepared to confirm an exact length until he had established the final details, but he did tell me that the expectation was for an extension of more than one year, taking Emery beyond his existing contract, which runs until 2029.

One of the things I was particularly interested in was the meeting that took place in Barcelona following Tuesday's Champions League defeat. Villa had described it as a strategic meeting, and I wanted to know whether this was something arranged in response to the recent speculation or whether it had already been planned.

Jacob told me that he had been aware of the meeting since the Friday before the Fulham game, although he couldn't say exactly when it had originally been arranged. The relevant people remained in Barcelona after the match rather than travelling back with the players, allowing them to sit down and discuss the direction of the club.

When I asked what those discussions were likely to involve, Jacob suggested that Emery would be receiving an improved salary, although he was careful to explain that he didn't yet have confirmed information about the precise contractual changes. He believes there could be alterations to certain clauses and potentially other aspects of Emery's working arrangements, but wasn't in a position to say exactly what those might be.

He also felt that the conversations would have gone considerably further than the manager's contract itself, taking in Villa's plans for January, the direction of the squad and what the club wants to achieve during the remainder of Emery's time in charge.

That was the part of the conversation I found particularly interesting, because I've always felt that the relationship between Emery and the ownership is strong enough that agreeing a contract shouldn't be especially complicated once everybody is satisfied with the direction of the project.

I put that to Jacob, asking why it had taken until now when the intention had apparently existed since May. He made the point that the strength of the relationship was actually one of the reasons there hadn't been a particular rush, because there was already a considerable amount of trust between the two parties.

He did acknowledge that Manchester United's interest could have accelerated matters, particularly with Villa travelling to Old Trafford this weekend, although he stressed that this was his interpretation rather than something he could definitively confirm.

Jacob also explained that United have admired Emery for some time, including during previous managerial searches, but he had always considered a departure in the middle of the season unlikely.

I've spoken about the United speculation on a number of occasions recently, including on talkSPORT, and I think some of the suggestions that Emery should automatically want to leave Aston Villa for Manchester United have been ridiculous. There seems to be an assumption that because United are historically a bigger club, Villa should simply accept that their manager would want to go there, without properly considering what he has built or the influence he enjoys at Villa Park.

I think Wednesday's announcement was Villa making their position clear, and Jacob agreed that the unusual wording was probably intended to quieten the speculation rather than necessarily announce a completed agreement.

He wouldn't rule out a formal announcement before Sunday's game, but equally felt it could arrive later, with the important thing being that Villa had already communicated their intentions.

We also discussed what Emery might want from a new contract beyond an improved salary. Jacob made clear that he didn't have specific information about additional demands, but suggested there could be conversations about staffing, autonomy or other arrangements that would help the manager carry out his work.

The wider football structure is important here as well, with Jacob referencing the contracts of Damiàn Vidagany and Roberto Olabe as part of the discussions. I've been impressed by the relationship between those two and Emery, particularly the way Olabe appears to understand what the manager wants, and keeping that alignment in place is going to be important if Villa are to continue progressing.

I couldn't resist asking whether the January transfer window would have been discussed during the meeting, and Jacob confirmed that Villa have already been contacting agents to establish which players might be available.

He stressed that this doesn't necessarily mean Villa will pursue those players, but explained that sounding out potential opportunities is part of the planning process at this stage of the season. He mentioned centre-back, central midfield and number 10 as positions he could imagine being discussed, although those were his suggestions rather than confirmed targets or priorities.

The conversation then moved towards what I think is probably the most exciting aspect of Emery's future, which is the ambition that Aston Villa are trying to match.

I've heard on several occasions that Emery's ultimate ambition is to win the Champions League, and I asked Jacob whether he genuinely believed the discussions between Emery and Nassef Sawiris could have included the possibility of Aston Villa winning that competition before the manager's next contract expires.

Jacob's response was that he thought it was obvious the ownership would want to give Emery that opportunity. He made the point that Sawiris is hardly going to sit opposite the manager, knowing how important winning the Champions League is to him, and suggest that it simply isn't achievable at Aston Villa.

He also referenced the club's long-standing ambition to create a dynasty, with the sort of managerial longevity associated with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger providing an indication of what Villa would like to build.

Whether Emery can remain at Villa for that length of time is obviously impossible to predict, but Jacob believes the ownership wants to reward him with contracts and support that give him the best possible chance of achieving those ambitions.

I think it's particularly interesting to have this conversation immediately after the defeat in Barcelona, because watching Villa against one of Europe's elite teams on Tuesday demonstrated that there is still work to do if we're going to reach that level consistently.

Barcelona were comfortably the better side, and I don't think there's much point pretending otherwise, but Villa reached the Champions League quarter-finals two seasons ago and have since won the Europa League. We've already seen Emery take the club to places that would have seemed extremely ambitious when he first arrived.

Jacob acknowledged that winning the Champions League might look unlikely at the moment, but suggested that Villa's ceiling could be considerably higher in another couple of years. He also referenced the performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final second leg as an example of what Emery can get from his team against elite opposition.

I don't think anybody should interpret these conversations as Villa promising to win the Champions League within a particular timeframe, because that's not what Jacob was suggesting. What I do find encouraging is that the ownership appears to be approaching the next stage of the project with the same ambition as the manager.

For all the attention surrounding Manchester United over the last few weeks, I think this is the more interesting story. Villa aren't simply trying to convince Emery to stay because they don't want to lose him to another Premier League club. They're discussing how to continue developing a team that has already achieved an enormous amount under his management, and what needs to happen for the club to take another step forward.

There are still financial restrictions to navigate, improvements to make to the squad and plenty of challenges that will come with trying to establish Aston Villa among Europe's leading clubs, but the fact that Emery and the ownership are discussing the future in these terms is hugely encouraging.

I said to Jacob during the conversation that Villa's announcement had effectively drawn a line under the Manchester United speculation, and I think supporters can now concentrate on what Emery might achieve here rather than worrying about where he could go next.

For me, the most exciting part isn't necessarily how many years are added to his contract. It's the ambition behind the agreement and the apparent determination of everybody involved to see just how far Aston Villa can go.