Aston Villa set for ‘Huge’ £50m+ windfall, it could boost transfer budget
Aston Villa are set to earn a “huge” £50million if they qualify for the Champions League which could go towards their summer transfer budget, according to Dan Plumley.
The Villans currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League table, seven points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham with three games remaining, although the north London club have two games in hand.
Unai Emery’s side know they will be in Europe’s premier competition next season if they win their remaining games and football finance expert Plumley admitted that windfall could go towards their transfer budget for the summer.
“Even under the new distribution mechanisms from UEFA for their revamped competitions, against the headline numbers that we’re seeing so far and England’s strength in the market pool still, and how Villa would benefit from that still despite not being in Europe for a long time themselves, you’re still looking at anywhere around £50m for an English club minimum in the Champions League,” he exclusively told Villa News.
“That is a considerable amount of money that will go into your budget forecasts and maybe transfer activity and all the things that we talk about, and how Villa might benefit from that, and the exposure of course that the Champions League gives you.
“I think the rhetoric coming out of Villa particularly with the vote against the cap and where their owners have looked to strengthen already is kind of playing into that aggressive strategy that we’ve seen, and really targeting growth for that club.
“Champions League qualification this year would be huge for the club financially and that will go some way to some of the things we’re seeing wider in the industry, and Villa’s position in football moving forward.“
Aston Villa set for huge financial windfall amid Champions League qualification
If everything goes to plan, Emery will have Aston Villa in the Champions League next season and the club will have overperformed their expectations very quickly.
That will mean the squad is likely to need boosting both in terms of depth and quality, and earning an extra £50m that wouldn’t have been expected can only be a good thing.
It will also help the club keep their star players like Ollie Watkins and Douglas Luiz from the grasp of top teams who have usually been able to dangle that carrot in front of them to entice them to move on.
It can only be a good thing to be in the top competitions and competing at the top level, and with more money coming in and the squad inevitably getting stronger that makes it more likely that they can stay there too.
Villa fans are dreaming but it’s not confirmed yet and everyone must stay fully focused until it’s officially done.
In other Aston Villa news, Dan Bardell has backed a mooted transfer to happen as a “no-brainer” verdict dropped.
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