Micah Richards furious with ‘ridiculous’ Aston Villa transfer news on MOTD
Aston Villa’s progression under Unai Emery looks to have been halted.
Villa lost 1-0 at Brentford to continue their winless start to their Premier League campaign, where they have also failed to find the back of the net.
It’s been a troubled summer at Villa Park, with Jacob Ramsey being sold against Villa’s wishes to Newcastle United for an initial £39million to help comply with PSR rules.
There was already cause for concern after Unai Emery saw his side underperform in a 0-0 draw with Newcastle on the opening day, and defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium has seen those worries mount.
Micah Richards concerned about Aston Villa’s need to sell
Micah Richards is furious with the situation Villa have been forced into financially.
This is the second summer in a row that Unai Emery has seen his side need to sell key players to comply with financial rules, following the sale of Douglas Luiz to Juventus last summer.
Villa‘s squad has arguably become worse since the end of last season, with minimal incomings, and former Premier League winner Richards has made his feelings clear on the situation.
Richards said on Match of the Day: “[They need] a little bit of freshness, don’t they?
“I just feel with Villa, with all the hard work they’ve put in over the years, as I was in a team that got relegated, to see that transformation to now, getting into the Champions League.
“But they can’t buy any players, which is ridiculous, having to sell academy products as well, which is not sitting right.
Aston Villa’s current squad cannot compete for Champions League football
Villa were extremely poor against Brentford, and some will argue that cracks are appearing in Emery’s system.
The truth is, this squad is not good enough to challenge the top four, and they are unable to improve their team sufficiently to do so due to PSR.
| Brentford | Stats | Aston Villa |
| 24% | Possession | 76% |
| 1.27 | Expected goals | 1.23 |
| 9 | Shots | 17 |
| 2 | Big Chances | 0 |
The Villans’ wage structure has left them in a mess that they now need to clear up, but deals for the likes of Nicolas Jackson are not the way forward, given his massive wages.
They could sneak into next year’s Champions league via a weak Europa League, but there is very little chance to do so in one of the strongest Premier League campaigns in recent years.
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