Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has rejected any notion of a friendly relationship with Chelsea, despite the two Premier League clubs completing a string of transfers between them in recent seasons. His comments follow another busy window of business, including Emiliano Martínez's move to Chelsea and Nicolas Jackson's arrival at Villa, with Emery insisting both sides are effectively trying to outdo one another rather than cooperating.

This summer alone saw Chelsea pay a British-record £117m for Morgan Rogers and £7.5m for Martínez, while Villa signed Jackson for up to £65m and took Alejandro Garnacho on loan with an obligation to buy; set-piece coach Austin MacPhee also left Villa for Chelsea. Earlier deals include Ian Maatsen's £37.5m move to Chelsea in 2024 and Axel Disasi's loan to Villa. With Villa hosting Arsenal on Monday after a 4-0 defeat at Brighton, Emery could hand debuts to Jackson, Leon Goretzka and Zion Suzuki, while also praising Arsenal and Mikel Arteta as Premier League and Champions League favourites, and criticising the transfer window's late closure for disrupting squad-building.