Whisper it quietly: Unai Emery’s Villa side are in a surprise title race. 

At the start of the 2025-26 campaign, everyone’s money was on Liverpool to win back-to-back titles. 

But with the Reds in trouble and Arne Slot’s job in serious jeopardy, it’s since turned into a three-horse title race between Arsenal, Man City, and Aston Villa. 

As it stands, Villa are just 6 points off top of the table Arsenal and have a favourable run of fixtures over the coming months. 

And even though Villa remain outsiders with most bookies, Unai Emery could potentially pull off the shock of the season if Arsenal and Man City were to blunder. 

Aston Villa Lose to Everton, Sit 6 Points Behind Arteta’s Gunners

Were it not for Sunday’s surprise 0-1 loss at home to Everton, Villa would actually be just 3 points off the top of the table. 

However, Thierno Barry bagged the winner as David Moyes’s Everton abruptly ended Villa’s exceptional 11-game home winning streak, leading to most bookies on the bettingtools website slashing Villa’s current title odds to 50/1. 

Had Emery gotten over the line against Everton, it would have given Villa serious title credentials, especially as Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have now dropped points in back-to-back league games. 

In typical Emery fashion, though, the Spaniard has made life difficult for himself and once again shown he struggles in high-pressure moments, which is why even some of the most pro-Villa pundits are struggling to back them to win the title. 

Villa “Not Even Contenders to Be in the Top 5” According to Emery 

The post-match Sky Sports interview after the Everton game saw a visibly frustrated Emery vent about “missed opportunities” while bizarrely claiming that Villa are “not contenders to be in the top 5” due to other teams having “more potential than us.” 

It’s not unusual for any Premier League manager to underplay their side’s prospects in order to take pressure off the players, but Villa will comfortably finish inside the top 5 this season and are always going to be potential title contenders if they’re able to stay consistent between now and May. 

Emery knows this, too, and you can’t blame the four-time Europa League winning manager for doing everything he can to remove the pressure his Villa side is currently under. 

Perhaps Emery himself didn’t expect to be this close to first place Arsenal at this stage in the season, as almost every Premier League fan on the planet thought the 2025-26 campaign was set to be a race between Liverpool and Arsenal from the get-go. 

Villa are right up there, though, so they’ll need to keep the pressure on Arteta and a struggling Pep as the season starts to heat up. 

Emery Has Been a Huge Success with Villa, But Can’t Afford to Drop Many More Points 

Since taking the reins at Aston Villa, Unai Emery has undoubtedly been a huge success. 

Despite no domestic or European trophies yet, the 54-year-old has transformed Villa since taking over from a disastrous Steven Gerrard, who had left Villa floating around the relegation zone and wildly underperforming. 

Emery has turned Villa into one of the league’s best sides and guided them to Champions League qualification for the first time since the 1982-83 season, while also bringing in shrewd signings like Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans to form a strong core (even Victor Lindelöf, who Manchester United deemed surplus to requirements long ago, has looked rejuvenated under Emery’s guidance). 

The problem with Emery is that despite his tactical genius and outstanding record in European competitions, he’s traditionally struggled whenever the pressure gets too much in the Premier League. 

Emery has lost out on the top four on a few occasions with both Arsenal and Villa when the opportunity was there to qualify, so there’s no telling how he’ll handle his side’s performances when it turns into a genuine title race. 

The signs aren’t great so far, with Villa recently losing to Arsenal and Everton while also dropping points at Palace, which is why all eyes will be on Villa during February and March. 

If they can keep the pressure on and pick up points in vital moments, Villa will be in and around the top three come May, but if points keep getting dropped between then it will turn into a two-horse race between the Gunners and Man City. 

Arsenal Remain Outstanding Title Favourites, While Rumours Pep Could Leave City Continue 

Fans and pundits alike all expect Arteta to bag his first Premier League title with Arsenal this season. 

The Gunners remain the outstanding title favourites after an exceptional first half of the season and it would be the club’s first title win since the Invincible days of 2004. 

Arteta knows it’s now or never, as he’s now spent over £1 billion since joining the Gunners and it will soon become six trophyless seasons on the bounce if he can’t grab Arsenal some silverware this campaign. 

Interestingly, Arteta himself is another manager who has struggled when the pressure is really on, so don’t rule out an Arsenal collapse just yet, as there’s plenty of time to go. 

As for Man City, Pep Guardiola’s side somehow sit second in the table despite looking incredibly uninspired for well over a year now. 

Pep himself is expected to leave at the end of the season — and rumours suggest he could even leave before then — so you would expect the legendary Blues boss to go all out for one last title as he looks to spoil the party for his former apprentice. 

Villa Fans Can Hope, But a Title Win Remains Unlikely 

Villa are in safe hands with Unai Emery.

The club will always be in and around the top four under Emery and will remain one of the league’s biggest threats, but a title win — at least this campaign — is perhaps too premature, despite Villa being in genuine contention. 

Arsenal look like they have enough in the tank to get over the finish line, while even Man City could end up going on an inspired end-of-season run if Pep can somehow get the magic flowing again. 

Villa are still a certainty to finish in the top four, but winning the title is simply too much of an ask for them this time. 

Barring a major collapse from both Arsenal and Man City, the opening just won’t be there for Unai Emery and his much-improved Aston Villa side, who will have to settle for a top four finish and a potential Europa League win, where they’re currently 7/2 favourites ahead of Roma and FC Porto.