Unai Emery examined the evolution of his squad one more time as the transfer window closed.
Aston Villa have ripped up the spine of their side, letting go of Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa and Emiliano Martinez before the start of September.
‘We want to compete, and they must get it’
The Villanshave acquired ten players during the transfer window, bringing in the likes of Johan Manzambi from Freiburg, Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea and Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain. It may take time for the new faces to gel, but the group have the goal to remain a top team.
“It’s one of our plans, in four years, to develop and to be ready in case coming changes like this year, more than normally, because the transfers were coming like that.
“They were involving a lot of players in the transfer window, and being ready to do this situation with the changes we had, and the players they are coming, try to adapt as soon as possible, try to get their development as soon as possible.
“A lot of young players with a huge potential, and someone can show us their potential quick, and someone maybe will need time, but we are very motivated, very excited how we can get and keep the same level we had in the Premier League, especially in Premier League, because it’s our first target, and to try to be consistent there.
“And then, of course, enjoy the different competitions we will face, especially Champions League.
“We built [the team spirit] during the process, and the process with the players you watched it here, and now we are starting a new project, because there are a lot of new players, young players, potential players, and we must build again this spirit, this mentality.
“Of course, the players with experience, the players here working with us the last one, two, three, four years together, they know it, and they must now take the responsibility, and to guide the new players as well, young players, to join us in this direction.
“I am a coach as well, sending a lot of messages every day, and especially when we are playing matches, we want to compete, and they must get it, and this mentality is very, very important.
“The mentality to compete every day, the mentality, to set our standards individually and collectively high, and everybody keep there in preparation, in when we are focusing, when we are resting, always must be professional, and then try to play for improvements – individually with their individual objectives, and collectively with our objective as a collective team and as a club, we must try to be keeping the same level we achieved the last years.
“It means to be trying to compete in the top six, top seven, even not being contenders, and competing in the Champions League with the mentality we had two years ago.
“And of course, in Europe, we are more or less enjoying and competing in the level we played – semi-final in Conference League, winning Europa League, and quarter-final in Champions League – it’s something fantastic, but to get again this level, this is the challenge we have now, and we have enough players, experienced players and young players, to get a balance for it.”
