Aston Villa say they will take legal action against former Liverpool defender and TV pundit Jamie Carragher, the Guardian and the BBC report. The Premier League club accused him of "unacceptable insults" about Villa and its fans.

The club posted a statement on X on Friday signed by its chairman, Nassef Sawiris. "Aston Villa will not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football," it said.

The row began on the Stick to Football podcast, the outlets report. Carragher suggested Villa manager Unai Emery might want to replace Michael Carrick as manager of Manchester United. When Villa fans criticized him, Carragher said there is a "chain in football" and added, "So shut the [expletive] up." He added, "Aston Villa will never be Manchester United."

Carragher, who works for Sky Sports and CBS, later said on social media that "it was a joke after the stick Villa fans have given me," the BBC reports. He said he had praised Emery and Villa for years.

"I ended up telling them to [expletive] which maybe I shouldn't have done but it was all in jest," Carragher said on the Overlap Daily, according to the BBC. He called Emery "the best manager in the league."

Villa won the Europa League in Istanbul this year, the BBC notes. The club did not say what kind of legal action it plans or where it would be filed.

What we know: Aston Villa say they will take legal action against Jamie Carragher over his remarks.
What we don't: What legal claim the club will bring, or whether Carragher will respond further.