🚨BREAKING: Antonio Conte RELEASES STATEMENT amid Man United rumours

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talkSPORT debates whether Emery should leave Villa and Conte's statement amid Man United links

The show discusses Unai Emery's future at Aston Villa, weighing the control and affection he has there against the financial limits on Villa's title chances. It then turns to Antonio Conte's statement over the Man United rumours, seeing it as a self-recommendation while questioning whether he suits a long-term project, and also touches on Fabian Hürzeler's links.

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Transcript

Manchester City heading to Villa Park aiming to become just the eighth team in English top flight history to start a league season with eight consecutive victories following in the footsteps of the title winning starts by Chelsea in 20056 and Liverpool in 201920. City face their ultimate bogey team though. >> Yep. >> Aston Villa have won four of the last six Premier League meetings against them. However, yesterday on the show, Simon Jordan was suggesting that Unai Emory, who's celebrating his anniversary in charge, >> anniversary, >> um that he has to leave Aston Villa if he is to be recognized as a worldass manager. >> I certainly like him. I mean, the problem is is that you judge people by what you know of them. And whilst we suggest that he could step into a big football club, and I suspect he probably could. Yeah. his successes have been recognized, his real successes, the two opportunities to shine have been at two big clubs PSG and Arsenal and for a variety of reasons and and GM is absolutely right that they are circumstances around that. But his successes have been associated with Villa Real Sevilla and potentially Aston Villa because of the scale and size of those football clubs and we don't know categorically if you stick him in. He's a brilliant coach, a great communicator. I think he got a terrible ride at Arsenal about the ridicule about the man in which he spoke. Try and get English people to speak Spanish. to see what that ridiculing goes on there, right? Cuz that would be real ridicule. >> Um, and I think he's a top manager, but there is still a doubt in my mind and he and he and he has to leave Aston Villa because the way that the system is set up, he cannot do what his capabilities as a manager will allow others to do because he has to manage a legacy club to be able to achieve it. >> Do you want to just get up and do what you just did there? Just give him a little bit of a massage just to make sure. Getting a little bit >> big hands you have, mate. Big hands. Right. He has to leave Aston Villa because the way the system is set up. Is he right? Is he right? Can can he not achieve what he wants at Aston Villa? >> Because the system is against him. >> Well, I look at what he has achieved, you know, and what has he achieved in his career? Five. >> Question. The question is is what does he want to achieve going forward? Can he >> Nobody knows that, do they? No one has spoke to Una and says what do you want to achieve? Can you achieve Aston Villa what you what you want to achieve? At the moment, he's seen so many players go. He's brought in his own players um into the football club. He's had a fantastic start to this season. You know, he hasn't most managers would have ran. >> Is there two two two issues here? The fact is that to go to win the title to win of course >> a Champions League tough. >> The the question might be do you need to go somewhere else to do it? But at the same time, >> when he goes somewhere else, is he afforded the level of control he gets at Aston Villa? And therefore, could he achieve those things? >> Exactly. You could people keep saying, "Oh, when whenever Manchester United want to get rid of Man, go and get Unry. Pay what you want to go and get it from Aston Villa." What if he went to Manchester United and he finds out, "Oh, crookies mate Jason Wilcott's going to decide what players you bring in." No, he's going to be like, "If I'm ever going to leave this football club, I want to be exactly what it's like at Aston Villa. Well, I can bring you whoever I want." All right, I'm losing Morgan Rogers. I want Man Zambi. All right, then. I'm I'm losing Ollie Watkins. I want Nicholas Jackson. Make it happen. Okay, we're going to make it happen for you. I think he what he's got Aston Villa the power the love of the fans that is his football club Aston Villa the owners lead him to it the owners aren't out by the tunnel like Marinakus looking to me on the sky cameras he's got that football club in his hands and he's enjoying his job >> can both not be true um that that Simon Jordan's point that to win the biggest prizes and you're talking about Champions League and Premier Leagues he's not realistically going to be able to do that Aston Villa because of the rules financial constraints y >> but also Does he accept that and know if he goes to a club like Manchester United who are still by the way a million miles away from challenging for those big prizes? But he knows as Gabby said he won't he won't be able to operate in the same way that he does at Aston Villa. Look what he's done so far as well. Won the Europa League got to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Just about got knocked out by PSG in the Champions League again this season in four years. Two Champions League campaigns won the Europa League. Why would you want to leave? and he absolutely runs that club from top to bottom. He does and he's been pretty unusual in 2026. >> He's absolutely brilliant and he's done a fantastic job. And if you watch Aston Villa, you saw at the beginning of the season it wasn't working brilliantly yet, but you could see that it was going to over time. It's now started to click into gear. We saw that on Wednesday night when we were both at the uh the Champions League game. Oh, no you didn't go to that one. Um but >> sold out. Yeah, sold out some stadiums. >> Yeah. Um but the question is with Brighton being contenders >> as we've all sat here and said today should Aston Villa not be in the same bracket bearing in mind they've also had a big refresh this summer. >> Do you know why that's a no? >> Why? >> Because Brighton are in the Conference League. Villa in the Champions League. >> Agreed. >> Champions League is obviously the the league competition. >> They're already through in the next round of the Champions League. But match they've got nine out of nine. They'll be >> No, you need to you need 16 17 points to get through. >> Guaranteed top eight. You probably want an extra game, don't you? Cuz >> uh for the money, of course. Yeah. But to get through to next round, you'd rather less games to get through to the playoff round. You can you can sacrifice. >> You only think you need 12 points in the playoff. >> You want to get into the top eight, don't you? Cuz some of the playoff games going to be tough games. We've seen that in the in the last couple of years. But I just think this season nothing's off the um the the charge. Rston Villa, you look at the >> Sorry, nothing's off the >> right. No, we can win anything. >> Nothing's off the table. So, you can win the title. Not this season, but I'm on about like Champions League after the quarterfinals. >> You just said nothing's off the table this season. So, is it this season that you >> So, what I meant by that is look at the League Cup. We play Bournemouth. Is it Wednesday? >> Yeah, >> they rest players as well after playing Sunday. >> I'll come mate. You fancy bit hospitality. What I'm saying is Aston Villa fans after winning the the Europa League, they're hungry hungry to go and win more competitions. We want to play a strong side in the League Cup. We want to see how far we can get in the Champions League. We want to go and win an FA Cup. And I think that this manager understands that now that like winning is what fans want. >> So can he achieve his ambitions? >> Definitely can't win the Premier League because the rules aren't going to allow you. How can you in a summer where you you win the Europa League going have to sell Ezri Kona? >> So does he need to leave in order to achieve his ambitions? >> But leave to go where? What's what jobs available out there where he's going to go and do that? Well, in the future, other jobs will come up because managers change. >> If the rules can change, then he can win everything at Aston Villa. But obviously, there's not they're not going to change. >> Real Madrid's job came up in the summer. There was a little bit of talk that he might >> How long would he last there? >> No, that would be Listen, he he doesn't turn down Real Madrid, >> of course. But would he last there? Would he last long at Real Madrid, you reckon? Egos. Aston Villa. He's got no egos. PSG didn't win that Champions League. The egos he had there. Arsenal as well. Aston Villa. These players know dare throw your arms up at his manager. You think a you think a player would do what Bruno Fernandez done? So Michael Curry, man, you've been training with the the under the under 14s and he's got that power which obviously Michael Carrick hasn't. The proof is that Bruno Fernandez hasn't been sanctioned by the club. What I was going to say is because the reason we're talking about this is because we know that Emry is on United's hit list because of his Premier League experience. He's too expensive to get out of Villa anyway, but it's not a step up now Manchester United for a manager because you're not going to be challenging for Premier League and Champions Leagues in the near future. So, he may as well stay of the control. >> No, he may as well stay where he is. Maybe Herzler, I'm told, is is is totally uninterested in >> you guys though, like we talked about earlier. Any top manager that goes into Manchester United now needs to be given all the power. Would that ever happen at Manchester United? They choose their own players. But why would he want to start from scratch at United when he's already building something? >> In the end, Roberto Deserby had to begged by Tottenham and given everything that he wanted because they got to a position where they were so low that they needed someone to come and do that. Maybe Manchester United need will end up one day in that position and and and give that sort of responsibility to someone. Lots of discussions about what's going to happen next at Manchester United, but at the moment, Michael Carrick very much firmly in charge. His press conference ahead of the Bournemouth game is at 1:30. We'll bring you the highlights of that during H&J uh after 1:00 this afternoon. Um but Antonio Conte has released a statement in the last few months from Chelsea, Tottenham uh Inter Milan, Napoli manager has been speaking on his personal Instagram page. Alex Crook. >> Yeah, really interesting move this. It's quite a lengthy Instagram post, so I'll rattle through it as quickly as possible. Uh Antonio Conte says this this morning. Following recent media reports in Italy and abroad, I feel it's appropriate to clarify my position. My name has been linked with numerous clubs, but there are currently no negotiations at an advanced stage. Following a wonderful and successful swell in charge of Napoli, I will take the time I need to consider how and when to return to management. It will be a carefully considered decision, one I will make when I believe the conditions are right. He goes on to say, Antonio Conte, I've read reports of financial demands and requests for full control that I have supposedly already made to the clubs mentioned as well as reservations about what has been described as quotes my strong personality. These reports are unfounded as there is currently no concrete basis for such assessments. Should a concrete opportunity arise, that will be the time to hold discussions with the club concerned and jointly consider the terms of a potential agreement with due regard for both parties needs and the qualities and approach that define my work as a manager. Now, our understanding at Talk Sport is that people associated to Antonio Conte have been in contact with Manchester United and made it clear he would be interested in the job. That to me is is him basically saying, "Look guys, I'm not a monster. I'm not as combustible as you think I am. Give me a chance. >> It was the in in the actual statement which is like a if you go on Instagram, you do a bit of text, that's what it is. And he sort of inputting uh quote marks, doesn't he? Strong personality. I mean, we all know he's got a strong personality as someone who was doing an interview with him and he just walked out halfway through and I was made to look a bit fool saying Antonio as he walked out um I know he's a strong personality. He's very good football manager and he's great at getting teams winning and he won the title at Chelsea. tends to be shortlived though, doesn't it? Everything is very shortlived. Now, is that what Manchester United are looking for? I mean, overall, >> this is a come and get me play, isn't it? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. But I I was listening to Ashley Young talk about it. He spoke about Antonio Conce loads of times to us because he's there at Inter Milan and he says shortterm only because his training sessions, his meetings is so intense and Manchester United don't need a short-term manager, do they? Need a manager with a long project. So, I think away from him. I think actually you're probably giving them too much credit there for for for knowing what they want. I'm not sure they do know what they want if they get rid of Michael Carrick. The fact so many different names are doing the rounds. If it is a Narglesman, >> maybe they don't want to move on from Michael Car. Maybe not. But if it is a Nglesman or a KTO comes in, then that is short-term uplift uplift. If it is an Eddie How or even a Fabian Herzer who's not going to take the job, I don't think then that would be more of a project manager. So I think they need a clear definition of exactly what they want. And presumably when they gave Michael Carrick the job, they did want it to work out for the long term. >> Two-year deal was it? >> Two-year deal at the end of last season. Yes. Uh right, let's hear from Fabian Herz. Look, you just mentioned him. Is he interested in the Manchester United job? >> Fully focused. Fully focused on on my job here. I have no time to to think about these rumors because we play every every three days. And uh beside that I I have a lot of respect for for Michael Carrick for what he has done with with Manchester United and in the last season and um he's a great human being. He's a great personality. Every time we we meet each other we have a really good relationship. So therefore really respect him and there's nothing more to say about that. >> All right. Well, obviously he was not going to turn around and say yes, please consider me. But I think we understand from having conversations with people close to the situation that they're not at all worried about the possibility of him leaving the football club and and and nor should they be. He's done a brilliant job at Fabian Herzler, but I always get the impression that he's done a brilliant job because he's incredibly talented. He's a very thoughtful coach, but he's working in a great system with loads of support around him. >> Well, before Gabby answers that question, remember midway through last season, they went through a long run where they weren't winning games. The fans were were on the boards back. Yeah. Started in December but carried on into the new year. If he was Manchester United manager, he'd be fearing for his job. At Brighton, those conversations never took place because Tony Bloom would have looked at the data and he knew results would turn. >> He's still a young manager as well. He's got time to go and manage one of the big clubs. Look what Brighton are doing. Got every chance of winning the conference league. They got every chance of finishing in the Champions League positions, top five. If it will be again, you'd imagine >> maybe win the league cup game away. Why would you ever think of leaving Brighton now? Stay. >> Stay. >> Stay. Don't go.