‘Aston Villa are rapidly approaching £100m windfall’ – Stefan Borson
Aston Villa have faced profit and sustainability (PSR) issues over the past couple of years after spending close to the allowable losses limit.
Under the PSR rules, top-flight clubs are only permitted to lose £105million over a rolling three-year period.
Villa are facing an “enormous” problem after their wage bill increased significantly last season following their qualification for the Champions League.
Deloitte’s 2025 Money League revealed the club’s revenue surged from £218million to a new club-record figure of £265million in 2023-24, but their wage bill also rose from £194million to £252million.
However, Unai Emery’s side are in line for a significant windfall from the Champions League after qualifying for the last 16 of the competition.
Finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Villa are rapidly approaching £100million in prize money following their European exploits.
They are set to face Club Brugge for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the first leg taking place in Belgium on Tuesday (4 March).
Aston Villa could sell players in June after PSR fears
Borson insisted Villa could look to sell players in June to avoid a potential spending breach after Douglas Luiz, Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman all moved on before last year’s accounting deadline.
He told Football Insider: “I think they will be close on PSR again this year.
“It’s part of the problem that ambitious clubs have in that bunch just below the top four. If you do want to compete, you are going to have to take some chances with PSR and invest.
“Newcastle have chosen not to, but the reality is that it will hinder their ability to crack that top five. They are going to be close. It’s all very bunched up and they’ve got the ability to win a number of games in the last 10.
“But Villa have taken a slightly more aggressive approach and they also have the benefit of the Champions League revenue this year.
“Of course, they got a very favourable draw in the round of 16, so there is a pretty strong chance that they’re going to get through to the quarters.
“They are rapidly approaching £100million from this season’s Champions League, with the extended Swiss format, the qualification that they’ve had and the Club Brugge game.
“I think any of these games are winnable. They are not impossible to get through from the quarters. They are on a very tough side of the group, but they could get to £100-110million from the Champions League.
“Clearly, if they got to the upper levels of that, that’s going to make a difference from a PSR perspective. I think that’s been part of the rationale for investing.
“They are confident that, if it comes to it when they get to June, they can do what they need to do.”
| Games Played | 8 |
| Wins | 5 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Goal Difference | +7 |
| Ranking | 8th |
| Round of 16 Opponent | Club Brugge (Belgium) |
Aston Villa purposely breached financial rules
Borson previously told Football Insider Villa purposely breached the financial rules in their bid to qualify for the Champions League last season.
Emery’s side are expected to have breached Uefa’s squad cost ratio (SCR) rules for the 2024 calendar year.
Clubs in European competitions were required to keep spending on player wages and fees to 80 per cent of revenue last year, with Villa’s spending going beyond that figure.
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