Matty Cash has said Aston Villa “has not got a ceiling” under Unai Emery before the two-year anniversary of the manager’s appointment, as the Spaniard outlined his wish to continue to “break barriers” by becoming Champions League regulars.
Emery will celebrate the milestone on Thursday, in which time he has transformed Villa’s fortunes. The club were above the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference before his first game in charge – an impressive 3-1 victory against Manchester United in November 2022.
Villa host Bologna in the Champions League on Tuesday hoping to maintain their 100% record after recording a famous victory against Bayern Munich in their last match in the competition. Cash acknowledged the club has made huge strides since he signed from Nottingham Forest in September 2020.
“In the last four years since I joined, the club has just gone through the roof, the quality in every single department has gone up and the club has not got a ceiling,” the 27-year-old defender said.
“I think it can go all the way to the top. Playing Champions League football has been a building block to get here and the manager has been a big part of that. It is great to be here and in four years we have come a long way.”
Emery said he wants Villa’s first season in Europe’s premier competition since 1982-83 to be a springboard for further success. “We are there at this moment but I want to stay there for a long time,” the Villa manager said. “It is difficult. Maybe sometimes you can have some problems but we have to be resilient in case they are coming. We have to be strong in our ideas and in our mind, to create a strong mentality to always try to always break barriers.”
Asked about the most significant step he has taken in his time at the club, Emery, who in May extended his contract at Villa until 2029, revealed a message he shared with his players on day one. “The only words I use repeatedly, which I said when I arrived here and now, are: ‘I don’t want to waste my time here,’” the 52-year-old said. “‘I don’t want you to waste your time here.’ We want to keep the level we have now, Champions League, and add something more like being a contender for a trophy.”
Villa could come up against one of their players in Samuel Iling-Junior, who joined Bologna on loan in the summer weeks after signing from Juventus. The England Under-21 winger, who has made five substitute appearances for the Serie A side, is eligible to face his parent club.
