Villa risk a backlash - but chief nails REAL problem

"TO get revenue, what do you need? To win. What do you need to win? To spend. But you cannot spend. So if you don't spend, you don't win, you don't get revenue and you stay in the same cycle always.

- By JOHN TOWNLEY

Damian Vidagany, Villa's director of football operations, hit the nail on the head last year. The Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules are no longer fit for purpose, haven’t caught up with inflation for over a decade, and simply hold ambitious clubs back.

Under V Sports, Villa climbed out of the Championship and returned to European football within five years, reaching the semi-final of the Europa Conference League last May and then qualifying for the Champions League weeks later.

Unai Emery’s side defied expectations once again last season by reaching the last eight of the Champions League and even had eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain on the ropes in the second leg at Villa Park, which they won 3-2.

A one-goal aggregate defeat meant Villa’s European journey was over, but they will be back next season competing for Europa League glory after finishing sixth in the Premier League.

The controversial 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford on the final day of last season denied Villa a return to the Champions League, which would have been a remarkable feat considering the hurdles put in their way over the past couple of years.

Douglas Luiz, Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby have all been sold in the last 12 months, generating around £157 million.