Aston Villa told to sell four players to avoid Premier League action as points deduction mooted
Don Goodman believes Aston Villa should be looking to sell four of their fringe players this summer, rather than one star name.
That comes amid a report by the Daily Mail last month suggesting Villa will need to prioritise player sales over incoming activity this summer.
The Villans recorded losses of £119.6million for the year ending 30 May, 2023, with clubs permitted to lose no more than £105m over a three-year period.
The report adds that one star player may therefore have to be sold to avoid a points deduction, but Goodman believes there is a way around that.
“If I was Unai Emery I’d want to keep the spine of the team, which includes Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez and the central defenders,” Goodman told Villa News.
“There will be a lot of players on the periphery who they could still get reasonable money for. So for me, rather than selling any star players, I’d rather they sold three or four of the fringe players they can get money for and instead keep hold of the core of the group really.”
Aston Villa facing intriguing summer transfer window
For all the talk of who Aston Villa could sign if Champions League football is attained, this recent report has put a dampener on things.
It will undoubtedly lead to talk of a player such as Ollie Watkins moving on, but hopefully that is not something the club are even considering.
As Goodman says, there are a number of players who, while Emery would rather keep them, could be sold for a nice sum of money.
The hope is that the club can balance the books and then add another player or two to what we already have.
Emery has built a very strong side, which does not even include the long-term absentees, but next season will be a different beast.
Balancing Champions League and Premier League football will be extremely tough – even more so if more players are not recruited.
What is certain, though, is that those high up at Villa Park will no doubt already have a plan in place.
In other Aston Villa news, Goodman has had his say on the speculation linking the Villans with one of their former players.
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