Emery on new contract, his aims and Champions League hopes

Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Chelsea.

Here are the key lines from the Aston Villa boss:

  • Emery said he is "very happy" to sign a contract extension and is "motivated" because "there is still a lot of work to do."

  • He said he is "very proud" of his players for being on the cusp of Champions League qualification and added, "We deserve to be a contender."

  • On whether a long-term aim of his is to win a Premier League title: "My objective is always to develop myself as a coach and the people around me. We do not have the availability to spend a lot of money but we have tried to be intelligent and we have always been positive."

  • This season his aim has been quite simple: "To be consistent across 38 matches and to focus. To be demanding and always focusing on each match with the same mentality. The only way I know about developing is through mentality. The team are getting better in this area."

  • Despite Chelsea's heavy defeat to Arsenal in midweek, Emery expects them to be "100% competitive" at Villa Park because "they have very good players."

  • He said the reverse fixture, which Villa won 1-0, was "a very tough match" so he respects the opposition completely.

  • He also confirmed Alex Moreno and Nicolo Zaniolo are unavailable for the game.

Follow all of Friday's live Premier League news conferences here

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[BBC]

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