Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
£49m bonanza on the cards as Celtic chief with 16 years of service joins Aston Villa
Aston Villa have poached a key member of Celtic’s executive team and are now looking to leverage the move to gain a financial edge over their peers in the Premier League.
Villa host Bayern Munich in a blockbuster clash in the Champions League tonight, their first at Villa Park in the competition since 1983.
The match, which is especially poignant since it was Bayern who Villa beat to win the competition in 1982, has been the source of controversy regarding ticket prices.
Villa‘s president of business Chris Heck penned a statement following the backlash, saying that the pricing structure – which has seen fans forced to shell out between £70 and £97 – was a “difficult decision.”
The American, who was previously president of NBA franchise the Philadelphia 76ers, insisted that Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) mean the club has to generate as much revenue as possible.
The Premier League‘s PSR system limits clubs to losses of £105m over a rolling three-year period, while UEFA’s equivalent caps spending on wages, transfers and agent fees this season at 80 per cent.
Villa owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris have underwritten major losses in order to get the club into the Champions League, and the club only narrowly dodged a PSR breach last season.
There are plans to expand Villa Park and supercharge their matchday income, but that will take years to yield material financial results.
Villa are therefore looking to commercial income as a top priority – and there has been positive news on that front as they seek to supercharge their sponsorship and merchandise strategy.
- READ MORE: Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are scouting EFL sensation who’s ‘destined for the top’
Villa appoint new chief commercial officer
In the last financial year on record, 2022-23, Villa banked £40.4m in commercial income.
They finished 7th that season, and analysis from the world-renowned finance analyst forecasts that they will reveal commercial income of £48m when they release their 2023-24 accounts.
This season, the numbers will be far greater thanks to a number of new lucrative sponsorship deals and the enthusiasm about the Champions League campaign, which will generate more sales.
Now, as reported by , Villa have appointed a new chief commercial officer to operate alongside Chris Heck and the rest of the c-suite at Villa Park.
Adrian Filby is joining from Celtic, where he spent 16 years as the club’s commercial director, during which time he oversaw a near 100 per cent increase in commercial income to £29m at the last count.
The highly-rated operator will be responsible for maximising revenue through sponsorships, partnerships, merchandising, and marketing initiatives.
Adidas and Betano deals to inflate Villa’s finances
It was a busy summer for Villa in the transfer market, but just as busy in the commercial department.
In time for their Champions League campaign, the club struck front-of-shirt and kit deals with Adidas and Betano respectively, with both partnerships worth a reported £20m per year.
The Betano deal will last a maximum of two years as the Premier League will outlaw front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship from 2026-27.
But the additional revenue likely means Villa will earn £70-80m in commercial income this season, placing them alongside the likes of Newcastle United in this metric.