By Adegboyega Adeleye
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has dismissed suggestions of a good relationship between his club and Chelsea, saying the Premier League rivals only do business together for money and players.
Emery made the comments after Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez completed his move from Villa to Chelsea, becoming the latest player involved in a growing transfer relationship between the two clubs.
“Good relations?” Emery said, as quoted by the BBC. “They want to kill us and we want to kill them!”
The Villa boss added: “We have good players and we can sign one player off them, it’s not a good relationship – it’s a deal for money and a deal for players.”
The latest transfer takes the number of deals between Chelsea and Villa to eight since 2022, more than any other pair of Premier League clubs during the period, according to BBC Sport.
Chelsea have paid Villa £163.5 million for players since 2022, while Villa have spent £102.5 million on Chelsea players, including the loan fee for Axel Disasi.
That figure could rise to £150.5 million if certain conditions are met for Alejandro Garnacho’s move to Villa to become permanent.
The clubs have been particularly active in the current transfer window.
Morgan Rogers moved from Villa to Chelsea in a deal worth £117 million, while Garnacho joined Villa on loan with a conditional obligation to buy worth around £43 million.
Nicolas Jackson then moved in the opposite direction for £65 million before Martinez completed his switch to Stamford Bridge.
The transfer activity has attracted attention across the Premier League, with some club executives questioning the frequency of the deals, although there is no suggestion that Chelsea or Villa have breached any rules.
Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali and Villa owner Nassef Sawiris have developed a close working relationship and have communicated directly over transfer business.
Emery, however, insisted the dealings should not be interpreted as evidence of a friendly relationship between the clubs.
“It’s a deal for money and a deal for players,” he said.
The two sides will now continue their respective campaigns after a summer in which their transfer dealings have become one of the biggest talking points of the Premier League window.
Vanguard News
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