It seems Aston Villa boss Unai Emery does rate West Ham as a club after all if new comments are anything to go by.
As far as proverbial slaps in the face go, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery delivered a stinging back-hander to West Ham last week.
Like the Aston Villa are right now, West Ham have been pushing the Premier League elite in three of the last four seasons.
And the Hammers have tasted glory by winning the Europa Conference League.
Villa looking to emulate West Ham and go one better
That’s something Aston Villa are looking to try and emulate themselves this season too. And they’re in good shape after a 0-0 draw away at Ajax in the last 16.
West Ham are once again knocking on the door for a fourth successive season of European football.
Villa are having a phenomenal season under Emery. The Villans sit fourth in the Premier League table on 55 points – three places and 13 points above West Ham before this weekend’s fixtures.
They can further increase their Champions League hopes with victory over Spurs this weekend.
Villa boss omitted Hammers from European equation
Emery has been wary of getting too carried away, though.
And when he warned his players and Villa fans they could still be caught he listed several clubs including Spurs, Man United, Newcastle and even Chelsea as those capable of doing just that.
There was a big slap in the face for the Hammers, though, who were omitted from his equation despite being seventh at the time.
But after ruling us out of the European mix now Aston Villa boss Emery has paid West Ham a huge compliment.
The Spaniard has called West Ham ‘a prestigious club’.
West Ham ‘a prestigious club’ says Emery
“It is not in my mind to avoid competitions because we don’t think it is important,” Emery told BBC Sport when asked if he is prioritising the Premier League over the Conference League given the Champions League carrot that is dangling.
“Because European football always has prestige,” he added.
“This competition (Europa Conference League) started two years ago – Roma and West Ham have won and both are prestigious clubs.”
Fair play to Emery on this. The guy is a serial winner and has Villa playing some of the most exciting football in the league.
Villa and West Ham have much in common having spent many years in the shadow of the so-called “Big Six”. And having also had to fight their way back from damaging relegation.
Good luck to Emery and their fans in chasing some long overdue glory.
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