London, May 28 (IANS): Aston Villa coach Unai Emery has signed a new five-year contract after leading the club to qualification for next season's Champions League.

Emery has completely changed Villa's fortunes after replacing Steven Gerrard in October 2022 when they were just one place above the bottom three of the Premier League.

The 52-year-old quickly brought results and Villa finished seventh last season to qualify for the Conference League, while this season they got to the semi-finals of the European competition and finished fourth in the Premier League.

Emery's previous contract still had three years to run, but now the club has assured his long-term future after rumors of interest from other big clubs in Europe., reports Xinhua.

"I am very happy to take this step and the responsibility of leading this club (...) There's a great chemistry in Aston Villa. And the element of the fans' support also makes the difference to feel like home.

"We are really excited to continue this journey with no limits to our dreams," said Emery on the club's website.

Club Chairman Nassef Sawiris was also happy to have secured Emery's services until the end of the decade.

"We are building something special here at Aston Villa with Unai at its core and we are delighted that he has signed a new deal with the club until 2029," he commented.