Aston Villa manager Emery says Chelsea transfer links are about business, not friendship

Manager Unai Emery on Sunday said that Aston Villa do not share a special relationship with Chelsea despite several transfers between the clubs in recent years, describing the deals as purely business transactions.

The two clubs have agreed eight permanent or loan deals in the past four years; there is no instance of this number of transfers between any other two Premier League teams.

"Good relations? They want to kill us and we want to kill them," Emery told reporters on Sunday.

"It's not a good relationship, it's a deal for money and a deal for players. I am happy for Emiliano Martinez and Morgan Rogers and I know I am not happy for Chelsea."

The business between the two clubs started after the consortium BlueCo took control of Chelsea in 2022.

Chelsea paid a British record £117 million ($159.51 million) fee for England midfielder Morgan Rogers to sign him from Aston Villa last month and he did not take long to show his ability, scoring a goal against Fulham in his first match for the Blues in the Premier League.

Alejandro Garnacho was loaned to Villa with a conditional obligation for the transfer to become permanent next year.

Striker Nicolas Jackson moved to Villa, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez signed a deal with Chelsea.

According to British media reports, Chelsea have spent more than £160 million on Villa players since 2022, while Villa have paid around £102 million for players moving in the other direction.

Villa host champions Arsenal in the Premier League on Monday.