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Aston Villa have ‘two transfer budgets’ for the summer as NSWE in £550m PSR battle at Premier League HQ

Adam Williams

Wed 19 February 2025 10:16, UK

Aston Villa were one of the handful of clubs whose accountants worked overtime last summer as they looked to get within the Premier League’s PSR threshold – is history set to repeat itself?

In the end, Aston Villa were confident that they had complied with Profit and Sustainability Rules, and the Premier League confirmed their status last month.

Wes Edens, Nassef Sawiris and Atairos’ high-rolling gamble had paid off, with Unai Emery’s securing Champions League ♚qualification for the first time since the ear🃏ly 1980s.

In 2024-25, they are a little off the pace in the race for the top four but are into the knockout rounds in Europe, which this season of all seasons, with UEFA🐓’s new format🌊, will be extraordinarily lucrative.

However, NSWE have had to perform a number financial sleights of hands to get to this stag🥃e without breaching PSR, such as the quasi-swap deals involving Juventus and Everton in the summer.

And with the news that the Premier League is set to retain PSR for another season now confirmed, there haꦆs been some anxiety among the Villa faithful that more such measures might be on the way.

Ed🐟ens and Sawiris have consiste🦋ntly voted for more PSR leeway, including a proposal to raise the three-year los🗹s limit from £105m to £135m at last summer’s AGM.

But the motion to retain PSR for an📖other year in favour of introducing a new squad cost control rule (SCR) and anchoringꦫ system was carried on a 19-1 vote. We don’t know who dissented.

It is expected that SCR – which will limit Villa’s spending on wages, transfer fees𒅌 and agents to 85 per cent oඣf revenue plus profit on player sales – will be implemented from 2026-27 onwards.

The anꦑ🏅choring system meanwhile is more of a backstop power and will not force Villa to alter their spending at this juncture.

That measure will limit spending 🐲to a 5x multiple of the bottom club’s media revenue, which would mean a £550m cap based on last season’s figures. Chelsea were the only club to exceed that margin.

In any c♈ase, that initiative is likely to be challenged in the courts after complaints from ꦕthe PFA.

Meanwhile, the headline figures show Villa as having a positive net spend of around £30m this season after January transfer window that saw Jhon Duran lead sales that totalled around £100m.

However, with their small profit in 2021-22 no long part of their calculation and the subsequent annual loss of £120m weighing heཧavy around their necks, are they safe from the Premier League’s PSR enforcers?

• READ MORE: How Unai Emery privately feels about Marcus Rashford at Aston Villa so far after signing him 🦂from Man Unit♛ed

Aston Villa have PSR contingency plan ahead of of 30th June cut-off

“Villa had to box clever in June 2024,” says Liverpool University football finance lecturer Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to TBR Football.

After 30th June this year, the PSR assess♔ment window will roll oveꦯr. That means clubs once again have a small window before the end of this season and the start of next to make any PSR-enforced sales.

The fa🥀ct that PSR will be retained for 2025-25 to♓o means Edens, Sawriris and Atairos – the private equity firm whose influence is increasing at Villa Park – means Villa are conscious of the constraints yet again.

Hඣowever, according to Maguire, the c🍎lub will have a contingency plan in place.

“The sale of Duran has given them more breathing space than they expected at this point in the season,” claims the Price of Football author.

“The Saudi Arabia bid, for a footballer who is still ultimately a squad player, was too good to turn down.

“Villa have two budgets. The reason they signed Rashford on loan was because until they know their position in 2025-26, they don’t really have a lot of scope to spend money without caution.

“Therefore, I think the loan deal for Marcus Rashford is a perfect example of de-risking investment. They didn’t want to commit to a permanent deal yet”

• READ MORE: Aston💮 Villa’s Unai Emer🌜y says what he really thinks of Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta as a manager

Villa Park expansion: Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris plan to defy PSR

As Villa approach a new era of P💮SR, the owners are pondering how they can give the club the best possible chance of success on the pitch.

Villa Park has become a home to premium football in recenওt season – and premium prices have followed, both in terms of general admission tickets and the corporate hospitality sector.

Expanding the stadium is on the agenda and, from NSWE’s perspectiv൩e, is necessary to hang onto the coatta꧋ils of the so-called Big Six, who will soon all earn £100m annually through the turnstiles.

At present, Villa are earning only aroඣund £1m per match at Villa 𝐆Park. T𒐪hat is�� around the same as Tottenham earn from catering alone.

Further emphasis on hospitality suites might be the answer as Villa look to increase overall capacity to 50,000-p♛lus.

Crucially, it must 🔯not come at the expense of ordinary match-goin⛎g fans, however.

Liverpool’s decision to freeze general admission and season ticket prices for next season shows that clubs ca♕n continue to grow their matchday income without placing that burden on bedrock supporters.

It is that demographic that will generate the atmosphere in tonight’s match against Arne Slot’s side, which in turn creat♎es the b𓆉rand that the owners trade on commercially.

It’s not only t🌠he right thing to do not squeeze loyal, local fans – it’s also in Villa’s commercial and foo🐭tballing interests.