Unai Emery says there is no friendly relationship between Chelsea and Aston Villa despite a flurry of recent transfers, calling the link purely business.
On Sunday, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez left Villa for Chelsea, the eighth transaction between the clubs in four years. His switch followed Nicolas Jackson’s move to Villa the previous week. No other pair of Premier League teams has exchanged more players, whether permanently or on loan, over that period.
Emery stressed the connection is transactional, not cordial, describing the clubs as fierce competitors. He said he was pleased for Emiliano Martinez and Morgan Rogers, but not for Chelsea.
The run of deals began after BlueCo’s 2022 takeover of Chelsea, when Carney Chukwuemeka arrived from Villa for £20m. Subsequent moves included Ian Maatsen to Villa for £37.5m, Omari Kellyman to Chelsea for £19m, and Axel Disasi to Villa on a £5m loan.
This summer alone has brought four more: Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea for £117m; Alejandro Garnacho moved to Villa on loan with a conditional obligation to buy worth around £43m; Jackson transferred to Villa for £65m; and then Martinez headed to Chelsea.
Since 2022, Chelsea have paid Villa £163.5m for players. Villa have spent £102.5m on Chelsea players, a figure that could rise to £150.5m if conditions are met to make Garnacho’s move permanent—terms Chelsea believe are easily achievable.