Unai Emery aims to help Aston Villa ‘write a new history’ with European campaign

Spanish manager wants to add to club's 1982 triumph - and to his own impressive continental trophy haul

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has won the Europa League four times and now wants to guide Midlands club to success in Europa Conference League. Getty

Unai Emery wants to help “write a new history” for Aston Villa as they prepare for their first European campaign in 13 years.

Villa take on Hibernian in the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifying play-off at Easter Road on Wednesday.

Emery is a four-time Europa League winner as a manager and said pictures of Villa’s 1982 European Cup win on the walls of their Bodymoor Heath training ground serve as further inspiration.

The 51-year-old Spaniard said: “Everyday when I go to the training ground there is the ’82 European Cup picture. It’s good to have that memory.

“This is the history for Aston Villa and it’s amazing. Of course we want to write a new history now, doing it our way and hopefully we can do something important here.

“Always when I go in my office I am passing this picture and I am always watching the trophy.”

Emery is a serial winner in Europe, securing the Europa League with Sevilla three years running – 2014, 2015 and 2016 – and winning it again with Villarreal in 2021. He was also a runner-up when in charge of Arsenal in 2019.

“We play Hibernian and have to play two matches to try and get to the group stage and that is the objective,” he said.

“I’m so happy about this and want to share my mindset with the players and the supporters because Europe always is something amazing for everybody.

“We have our experiences, the players and me as a coach. Playing in Europe always gave me a lot as a coach. In football, I’m so grateful for the possibility to play in Europe like I have.

“Now with Aston Villa, I want to share with everybody the experiences and I want to share my competitive way. What I did before, I want to do here.

“That is the message to the players and to the supporters. I want to focus on the two matches with Hibernian and enjoy it.”

Emery said latest signing Nicolo Zaniolo, who won the inaugural Europa Conference League with Roma in 2022, is in contention to make his Villa debut after joining on loan from Galatasaray until the end of the season on Friday.

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