- Ezri Konsa has written an emotional letter to Aston Villa supporters ahead of the Europa League final on Wednesday
- He discusses the journey he and his teammates have been on this season and issued a rallying cry for the final
Ezri Konsa has delivered an emotional letter to the Aston Villa supporters ahead of Wednesday night’s Europa League final against SC Freiburg. It is their first European final in 44 years, and provides them with the opportunity to end their 30-year wait for a major trophy.
With this being his seventh season at the club, Konsa has become the heartbeat of the Villa defence. Through the years, he has developed into one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and has matured into one of the key leaders in the dressing room.
Standing just 90 minutes from securing European silverware, Konsa uses this moment to look back at the club’s extraordinary transformation. From the early-season despair of relegation form to the ultimate dream of a Europa League final, the centre-back shares an unfiltered look behind the scenes.
The full letter can be found here. The beginning reads: “To my fellow Villans,
“If you had told me in September that we’d get back into the Champions League and play the Europa League final, I would have laughed at you. First five league games, we scored one goal. We didn’t win. Everyone was writing us off.
“To be honest, I only realised how bad it was when Unai Emery called us in for a meeting. The boss loves meetings, long, long meetings. But this one was different. Nobody was talking. Our heads were down. I was hoping that he’d come up with a way to fix the team, but he sat down and looked at us.
“He said, ‘Guys, I’m really worried.’ And I just remember thinking, ‘F****** hell. This is bad. Really bad.’
“The boss has never, ever used that word. Not a single time in three years. No matter how badly we’ve done, he’s always backed us to come out stronger on the other side. But in that meeting, you could tell that something was wrong just by the way he spoke.
“He was very concerned. We all were. I remember looking at the boys, seeing them glance over at one another, saying nothing. Nobody seemed to have any solutions. All I could think was, ‘I’m not sure we’re gonna get out of this rut.”
Low point of the season
The hangover from the previous campaign weighed heavily on the squad last summer. Missing out on the elite European spots by the narrowest of margins shattered the team’s confidence, and a nightmare start to the new season left the players questioning their own abilities.
In his letter, Konsa details the exact moment the dressing room hit rock bottom.
“When we lost out on the Champions League on the final day of last season, and Morgan had that goal disallowed at Old Trafford, that was a big kick in the teeth for us. Come summer, we couldn’t strengthen up like the boss wanted. First game at Villa Park, I get sent off, and we draw.
“We lose to Brentford. We lose to Palace. We take two points off Everton and Sunderland. Our goal is to get back into the Champions League. Five games in, we’re in the relegation zone.
“The lowest point was Sunderland. One man up at 1-0, we still couldn’t win. Even before they scored that late equaliser, I knew we were gonna concede. As a centre half, you get a sixth sense for it.
“Going back in on Monday, the mood was bad. Training was bad. I’m sure if I was the manager, I would have asked myself how much we really wanted it. As one of the senior pros, it was tough to see.”
Unai Emery arrival
The transformation of the club under Emery has been incredible. Very few people would have believed that a few years on since his arrival, the club would have qualified for the Champions League for the second time, and are about to play in a European final.
The England international reflects on how Emery has radically shifted the standards of the entire club, converting individual players from mid-table regulars into elite-level contenders through a mix of tough love and mental resilience.
“And then a few years later, Unai Emery came and took it to another level. The first thing he told us when he arrived was, ‘I’m not here to waste time.’ Right away, he changed our mentality. No more being mid-table. He wanted titles. He wanted to get into Europe.
“It’s funny because after the first few months, he sat me down and said, ‘Look, I really wasn’t sure about you.’ He told me that I could play for England one day, but only if I was willing to put in the work and really believe in myself.
“He actually told a reporter once that he believes more in me than I believe in myself. That kind of hit home. From that point on, I wanted to work 10 times as hard.
“He can tell if I’m not 100%. When we were about to play City away last season, he asked me how I was feeling. I said, ‘I feel alright, boss.’ He looked me in the eyes. ‘Honestly, I’m good.’
“But I was really tired. We lost, and I was poor. The boss never brought it up until this season.
“Forest away in the league, he put me on the bench, and I was fuming. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I’d actually scored the game before. I went upstairs and walked into his office, and once he saw me, he started laughing.
“He said, ‘If you’re here to ask me about the lineup, you can leave my office right now.’ I was like, ‘Boss, what’s this about?’ He said, ‘You remember City away last year? This time I’m not gonna ask if you feel fine to play. I’m just not gonna play you.’
“Obviously, I want to play every game, but a day or two later, I realised, ‘You know what, he might be right.’ The boss has won the Europa League four times. He knows exactly what he’s doing.”
Emotional moment in the dressing room
Behind the intense tactical demands and long video analysis sessions lies a deeply human manager. The bond between the squad and their head coach grew strongest during moments of shared vulnerability.
This has created an unbreakable unity that carried through them through their testing and difficult season in the Premier League and Europe.
“He works so hard, I’m not sure how he manages to have a life outside football. You can see how much he cares for us.
“Robin Olsen wasn’t playing much for us last season, but when he got a chance at Brentford and he got a clean sheet, the boss got really emotional. He knew Robin works so hard and never complains and shows everyone so much respect, and he told us that he had been wishing and praying for Robin to get that clean sheet.
“For me, that’s the sign of a great manager, and a great man.
“There was another moment when we lost out on the Champions League last year, and we got back into the dressing room, and it was like a funeral. Guys on the bench, staring into the air. I’m sitting there with my shirt pulled over my head, wanting to disappear into the ground.
“The boss began to speak, and then he started to tear up. He was telling us how proud he was of us, and how hard we’d worked, and how much commitment we’d shown. We had never seen him open up like that.
“I had even more respect for him after that. He just loves what he’s doing, and he cares so deeply for his players. We’re lucky to have Unai Emery as our boss. We’re lucky to have Unai Emery as our boss.
“Playing for him, you can see why he has won so much. When we conceded that late goal in Paris last season, he was kicking stuff in the dressing room. But then he told us how much he believed in us, and when you look at him, and you feel his energy, all you want to do is play the second leg.
“Even when we went 2-0 down at Villa Park, we didn’t lose faith. They were probably thinking, ‘Who the f*** are Villa?’ But in that second half, I think they got scared of what we managed to do. When I scored, you could hear the noise 10 miles away from Villa Park.
“We may have lost the tie, but we beat PSG that night. We showed what we can do when we stick together and believe in ourselves. We need that energy again in Istanbul on Wednesday.”
Message for the final
With the biggest game of their lives on the horizon, the players have an opportunity to write their own piece of history. Looking ahead to Wednesday night in Istanbul, the 28-year-old issues a powerful, direct rallying cry to the Villa supporters, urging every single one of them to unite behind the team.
“Nothing would mean more to me than to win this trophy. This club means everything to me. After 300 games here, it feels like a family. I came here as a kid. I’m still here as a man and a proud father. The love the fans have for this club, it has to be seen to be believed.
“And we can feel that love. Like the boss said after the Liverpool game on Friday, without your support, it would be impossible for us to achieve all this.
“So, to all the fans out there, let me say one final thing. It’s simple. Believe.
“Believe in us, whether you are watching in the stadium, or at the pub, or in a living room on the other side of the world. We are all Villans.
“Let’s bring it home.”
ReadAstonVilla verdict
The heartfelt open letter highlights a powerful bond. Konsa is rarely one to show emotion, but this signifies the understanding of what this final means to every Aston Villa supporter.
The journey from early-season relegation panic to now a European final in Istanbul proves how far collective belief can take a squad.
As the team prepares for their defining moment on the grandest stage, one thing remains absolutely certain: with the players and fans completely united, this modern era of Villa are ready to write the ultimate chapter in their history.
