'I am going to go to war after reading that'

If you had told Aston Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa early on in the season that Aston Villa would have confirmed their place in the Champions League next season and be in the Europa League final he "would have laughed at you".

However, that is exactly the position Aston Villa find themselves in.

Unai Emery's side started the 2025-26 campaign in terrible fashion, with four draws and two losses, in all competitions.

The Europa League is a competition which Emery knows very well, and it was the competition where Villa picked up their first win of the season in a 1-0 win at home against Bologna in September 2025.

In an open letter from Konsa to Villa fans in the Players Tribune, external, Konsa recalls a "long, long meeting" where Emery told his side he was "worried" for the rest of the season after a poor start.

"In that meeting, you could tell that something was wrong just by the way he spoke. All I could think was, I'm not sure we're going to get out of this rut," added Konsa.

Konsa touches on Villa narrowly avoiding relegation in 2020, and acknowledges the support his family have given him during his career.

Senior Football Reporter for BBC Radio 5 Live, Ian Dennis told Radio WM: "I was reading it, and I was thinking, 'I am going to go to war after reading that'.

"I wonder if sometimes in football things align. I got a little shiver when I read the Konsa post, I must admit."

You can listen to Ian Dennis below

Listen to live commentary of the Europa League final on BBC Radio 5 Live from 20:00 BST on Wednesday.