Alan Shearer in passionate defence of Aston Villa after what he’s seen up close
Alan Shearer is empathetic of the situation Aston Villa have been in this transfer window.
NSWE may have financial constraints at Villa Park, stopping them from spending this transfer window.
Former OGC Nice striker Evann Guessand has been the only big-money signing at Aston Villa this transfer window, costing around £30million.
Unai Emery will undoubtedly be frustrated with how this summer has panned out for the Lions, and he may have every reason to be unhappy.
Shearer slams PSR after Aston Villa’s and Newcastle United’s struggles
Shearer has taken aim at the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) after the apparent effect on Villa and Newcastle United.
The ex-Magpie feels the Villans are in the same position the Tyneside outfit were in last season, having to sell Jacob Ramsey to possibly balance the books after buying Guessand.
Shearer is baffled to see last season’s top four going on to make significant investments while the rules seemingly constrain the Villa Park hierarchy from spending.
- Guessand scored 12 league goals last season.
- Yasin Ozcan and Marco Bizot have been Villa’s only other signings this summer.
- The Turkish defender has been sent on loan to Anderlecht.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live on X (18 August), the former striker said: “PSR doesn’t sit easy with me, I don’t like it. Because you can get to a certain point, like Newcastle have, like Aston Villa have, and then all of a sudden, you’re hit, there’s a juggernaut that’s then in front of you. How do you get past that?
“And you look at the top four that were last year, look what they’ve gone on to spend. Now, look at Aston Villa, the position they’re in now, not being able to spend a lot.
“They’ve brought Guessand in for around £30m, but Jacob Ramsey will cover that, you know? So they’re in a situation now that Newcastle were in last season. Villa can and have got money, Newcastle can and have got money to go and spend. So it wasn’t really brought in for that situation.”
Read More: Villa will be livid at FFP as conditions of Nicolas Jackson transfer set
Emery to struggle in Premier League after what’s happened this summer
Finance expert Kieran Maguire feels Villa are on the “wrong side of history” when it comes to PSR, as it’s seemingly preventing them from challenging the Premier League’s elite clubs.
Having made it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season and finishing sixth in the top flight, the Villans are arguably struggling to make further progress.
It feels like Emery has taken the Lions as far as he could, with the recruitment team undoubtedly struggling to strengthen the squad.
| Position | Club | Goal difference | Points |
| 1. | Liverpool | +45 | 84 |
| 2. | Arsenal | +35 | 74 |
| 3. | Manchester City | +28 | 71 |
| 4. | Chelsea | +21 | 69 |
| 5. | Newcastle United | +21 | 66 |
| 6. | Aston Villa | +7 | 66 |
Stan Collymore predicts Villa to finish fifth in the Premier League this season, but going by the opening day performance against Newcastle, that feels far-fetched.
The Villans have lost the likes of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, who had a significant impact while on loan at Villa Park.
One could argue that the Lions have a weaker squad compared to last season, and that will only affect their position in the league table.
Sign up for the Villa News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Aston Villa news sent straight to your phone.