Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as Bertrand Traore hails the club’s progress under Unai Emery
Bertrand Traore has praised the job Unai Emery has performed at Aston Villa after witnessing first hand the improvements which were made in the squad, ahead of the Europa Conference League round of 16 first leg clash against another of his former clubs, Ajax.
The winger left Villa on deadline day back in January after the club agreed to terminate his contract so he could join Villarreal on a short-term deal. Traore only made only two appearances in the Premier League earlier this season, featuring for 10 minutes combined in matches against Burnley and Luton.
He returned to Villa after his loan spell at Istanbul Basaksehir was cut short in January 2023, and made an impact by scoring the winning goal against Leicester and then the opener in the 2-0 home victory over Nottingham Forest. It helped sustain Villa’s push for a top seven finish, which secured Europa Conference League football.
“I was there for the pre-season and saw how the team has developed,” Traore told Ajax. “They have world class players and one of the best managers in the world, I think.
“Aston Villa is a great, passionate club with incredible supporters. They have an incredible history, and now they’re back on the European stage where they belong.”
“They have a lot of top players and have a lot of confidence. They’re well-organised with a lot of individual quality. But Ajax is a great club.
“They aren’t in the running to win the league right now, but sometimes you can rise above yourself in Europe. It will be a fantastic match.
“Villarreal plays at 9pm, but I am not registered. I will definitely try to watch the game before that. May the best team win.”
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