The club made the announcement late on Friday night.

Villa say they will take legal action against pundit Jamie Carragher for “unacceptable insults” made toward the club.

In a brief but extraordinary statement posted on social media on Friday night, chairman Nassef Sawiris said he would not allow anyone to “stop our ascension in English and European football”.

Former Liverpool defender Carragher had drawn the wrath of Villa supporters in recent days for comments made around the future of boss Unai Emery and the club’s potential.

Carragher, when discussing Emery as a possible target for Manchester United should they sack Michael Carrick, said the Spaniard could not win the Champions League at Villa.

Speaking later in the week on The Overlap podcast on the strong reaction he had received Carragher told Villa supporters to “shut the f*** up”.

He said: “There is a chain in football, whether you like it or not.

“So Real Madrid will take Manchester United’s best player, they did it with (Cristiano) Ronaldo.

“And there will be teams below Aston Villa, and they’ll take their players or manager, so shut the f*** up Aston Villa fans. Aston Villa will never be Manchester United.”

Emery took Villa to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in the 2024-25 season, losing 5-4 on aggregate to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.

They sit joint top of this season’s league phase table with PSG after three matches, ahead of a trip to Barcelona next week.

Villa’s statement on Friday night read: “Aston Villa will initiate legal action against Jamie Carragher for his unacceptable insults about the Club and its fans.

“Aston Villa will not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football. Nassef Sawiris, Chairman.”