Aston Villa avoid last second points deduction after transfer developments
Aston Villa director of football operations Damian Vidagany has admitted that the club faced a “challenging” situation to avoid a profit and sustainability breach this summer.
The Daily Mail reported on 3 September that Villa faced a 10-point deduction if they had breached the Premier League’s PSR regulations before June 30, with Vidagany confirming the severity of the situation.
Douglas Luiz’s £42million transfer to Juventus spared the Villans a deduction, going through right on the deadline despite Vidagany and Monchi’s efforts to rush through the deal.
Vidagany said: “We found ourselves in a situation where we had to make an important profit to avoid being in breach with the PSR. It was very challenging.
“Everybody was cheering and celebrating the Champions League, but Monchi and I were at the party thinking how we could avoid a points deduction that would have spoiled a wonderful season.
“There was a bomb with the countdown, and we were there to cut the cable. We arrived at the last second with this problem.”
Aston Villa avoid last-minute points deduction
A 10-point deduction coming in the middle of the off-season certainly wouldn’t have gone down well at Villa Park, not least because of the potential ramifications on the fantastic campaign last season.
As Vidagany mentions, it would have instantly ruined any of the success of getting into the Champions League, with a potential battle to even get top half on the cards.
10 points would be the biggest single deduction handed out by the Premier League in this new PSR punishment era, so it just shows how bad it could have been.
Understandably, this would not have been accepted without a fight from the club or its fans alike, with many a supporter already frustrated that Emery had to sell Luiz to meet PSR rules this summer.
Amadou Onana may have hit the ground running as the most natural successor in midfield, but the saga of Luiz’s transfer and its possible ramifications is another clear indictment that PSR is not fit for purpose.
In other Aston Villa news, the club completed a Deadline Day deal for a player who they’ve immediately sent back out on loan.
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