Aston Villa to avoid ‘star player’ exit after new Champions League developments
Aston Villa are less likely to need to sell a star player to comply with PSR after Champions League developments, according to football finance expert Dan Plumley.
The Villans were hours away from being hit with a potential 10-point deduction for a financial fair play breach last term, with Douglas Luiz’s last-minute move to Juventus balancing the books [Daily Mail, 3 September].
Although Villa’s accounts for 2024 haven’t yet emerged, Plumley believes that the influx of cash from the Champions League could help Unai Emery keep the majority of his squad together next summer.
“I think from what we know about the Champions League money, the risk of Villa needing to sell a star player is lower,” Plumley told Villa News.
“Of course, we haven’t seen their 2024 accounts yet, but we saw some of the movement in players for Villa around the time that we knew they were tight with PSR.
“It doesn’t go away. That’s the ultimate reality of the transfer market in general but yeah, the windfall from the Champions League means that the risk is not as high so you have to go and sell that marquee player.
“That risk is negated a little bit in that regard for Villa because of the Champions League.
“Also, of course, if you’re offering Champions League football to your players, for most players that’s the pinnacle of European football, they probably won’t want to leave as well.
“There’s another side to that argument there as well where you cannot just retain them because the money is ok, but you can actually try and retain them by offering Champions League football.”
Will Ollie Watkins exit Aston Villa amid PSR concerns at Villa Park?
Villa have managed to adapt to life without Luiz this season, but Emery and his recruitment team will be reluctant to lose other players like Ollie Watkins or Jhon Duran in future transfer windows.
With plenty of money on offer in the Champions League this season, a good European campaign could see the Villans pocket more than enough money to comply completely with the Premier League’s restrictions.
In other Aston Villa news, the Villans are in line for a new eight-figure windfall at Villa Park after recent controversy this season
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.