Aston Villa manager Unai Emery’s contract has been extended until 2027, the Premier League club confirmed on Tuesday.
Emery has done an excellent job at Villa Park, leading the club from relegation to Champions League qualification after succeeding Steven Gerrard in November 2022.
Birmingham are fourth in the Premier League, six points clear of fifth-place Tottenham, who have two games in hand.
Villa have also advanced to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, where they will meet Olympiakos in their quest for their first European title since 1982, when they were named European Champions.
The former manager of Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain, and Arsenal has recently been connected with the empty position at Bayern Munich, and a number of other prominent European clubs are looking for new managers.
“We are enjoying our way together with Villa fans, the club owners, management and this great group of players that we are proud of,” said the 52-year-old Spaniard, whose existing deal had two years to run.
“Me and the football management, we share the vision of the owners. Nassef (Sawiris) and Wes (Edens) are very supportive and respectful, and we have a good environment and the right structure to develop this football club.
“We must maintain the hard-working spirit, clever decisions and coordination with the ownership that we have found during this time. We will work to get better and better. And we will demand from each other. Ambition already is, and must always be, the motto of this project.”
Chairman Sawiris said: “We are thrilled and are building a sporting operation around Unai to support him with a view of returning Aston Villa, a co-founder of the English Football League as we prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary, to its historic levels of greatness.”