Jamie Carragher has acknowledged that his response to Aston Villa supporters went too far. The club is preparing to take legal action against the former Liverpool defender.
The Sky Sports pundit’s comments that Manchester United should look at Unai Emery sparked a backlash from Villa fans. Not to mention the angry response from Carragher on social media.
Since then, he has tried to clarify his comments. He explained that his frustration was with the negative comments he has received on social media and not the club itself. However, he admitted that his choice of words was not needed.
Carragher stands by his opinion on Unai Emery
Carragher defended his comments on Overlap Daily.
He believes Emery is one of the best managers in the Premier League, so it makes sense for United to look at people of that calibre if they do decide to make a change at the club.
Carragher was quick to point out that he is not implying that Emery will leave Villa. He was questioning whether the Spaniard would be happy to get the chance to manage one of the biggest clubs in Europe again.
He also pointed out that Emery has had a similar career to former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez. Both have had successes at certain clubs but have not been as successful at Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
Carragher’s overall point was about the structure of football and whether ambitious managers would decline the opportunity to manage a higher-status and better-resourced club.
But he admitted that advising fans to stop messaging him on social media was not the right approach.
He explained that the exchange had been intended as a joke but accepted that his response had escalated the situation.
Aston Villa prepare legal action against pundit
Aston Villa have confirmed taking legal action regarding comments made by Carragher. Chairman and co-owner Nassef Sawiris characterising the remarks as “unacceptable” in a statement on Friday.
They added they also would not allow outside criticism to come in the way of them achieving success for English and European football.
The debate on this matter has since then heated up. The Spaniard has formed a successful team since taking over from former manager Steven Gerrard last year. The team had an impressive run last season ending in the Europa League.
Carragher has previously praised Emery’s capability to rotate his squad while maintaining quality performances.
Emery remains at the centre of the disagreement
This has certainly put Emery’s reputation and future ambitions in the spotlight, despite no indication from the manager that he wants to leave Aston Villa.
Carragher made his comments when speaking about the pressure on Manchester United boss Michael Carrick and what they could do if they decide to go looking for a new manager.
However, despite Carragher clarifying his comments, Aston Villa still believe he has gone too far and are looking to take legal action.
For now, Carragher has stood by his assessment of Emery while conceding that his reaction to supporters was a mistake. Whether his explanation changes Villa’s position remains to be seen.
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