Unai Emery has dismissed the idea of a friendly relationship between Aston Villa and Chelsea, insisting their growing transfer business is driven solely by money and players.
His comments came after Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez moved from Villa to Chelsea on Sunday, 30 August, completing the eighth permanent or loan deal between the clubs in the past four years.
Nicolas Jackson had made the journey in the opposite direction the previous week, joining Villa from Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £65 million.
“Good relations?” Emery said. “They want to kill us and we want to kill them!”
“We have good players and we can sign one player off them, it’s not a good relationship – it’s a deal for money and a deal for players.”
The Aston Villa manager added: “I am happy for Emiliano Martinez and Morgan Rogers and I know I am not happy for Chelsea.”
Growing transfer pipeline between Chelsea and Aston Villa
The latest moves have extended an unusually active trading relationship between the Premier League clubs, which began after Chelsea’s owners, BlueCo, took control of the west London club in 2022.
Carney Chukwuemeka was the first player to move, joining Chelsea from Villa for £20 million that summer. Ian Maatsen later switched to Villa for £37.5 million, while Omari Kellyman moved to Chelsea for £19 million and Axel Disasi joined the Midlands club on a loan deal worth £5 million.
This summer has seen four further transactions. Morgan Rogers completed a reported £117 million move to Chelsea, while Alejandro Garnacho joined Villa on loan with a conditional obligation to buy in a package worth about £43 million.
Chelsea have also confirmed that Rogers has signed a contract running until 2033. The England international made 85 Premier League appearances for Villa, contributing to 40 goals before moving to Stamford Bridge.
Jackson’s £65 million switch to Villa was followed by Martínez’s arrival at Chelsea, leaving the clubs having exchanged more players than any other Premier League pair over the past four years.
Since 2022, Chelsea have paid Villa £163.5 million for players. Villa’s spending on Chelsea players stands at £102.5 million, including Disasi’s loan fee, and could reach £150.5 million if the conditions attached to Garnacho’s move are met.
