Tis the season for Premier League clubs to release their financial results and Aston Villa are the latest club to announce a loss of more than £37 million for the year ending May 31 2010. Keep in mind that the Villa numbers do not include the £24 million spent on Darren Bent in January or the £7m for Lyon midfielder Jean Makoun.
Other than Manchester United I cannot remember another Premier League club that has made a profit in the last year. That is not a good long-term sign for the league.
Villa’s loss can be attributed to its wage bill will increased to almost £80m last season, an increase of £9m. Wages at Villa Park now account for an unsustainable 88% of the club’s £90m turnover.
Villa said that they are somehow confident they will comply with UEFA’s financial fair play regulations by the time they are in force by the beginning of the 2013-2014 campaign.
The regulations will force clubs to live within their means, something Villa insist they are striving to achieve despite the backing of American owner Randy Lerner.
The aim is not to reduce the number of quality players at his disposal but to trim the squad to ensure those on sizeable wages while making little meaningful contribution are moved on.
Look for Villa to sell some of its aging stars this summer and replace them with younger, cheaper players. To balance the books I would not be surprised to see Villa sell Ashley Young and Stewart Downing this summer
