Aston Villa close in on new arrival – ‘I have questions… this worries me’
Aston Villa are closing in on a replacement for unpopular president of business operations Chris Heck – who will leave the club for a role with LIV Golf at the end of the season.
According to the Birmingham Mail (13 May), Juventus chief Francesco Calvo will take up the role at Villa Park for the 2025-26 campaign.
Calvo has worked with Villa chief Monchi at Roma and has also held roles with Barcelona and sports car giant Ferrari.
The Italian’s imminent appointment comes after Villa announced plans to expand their stadium’s North Stand to take total capacity to over 50,000.
But Aston Villa’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Villa Park between 2016 and 2018 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insisted he has “question marks” about the move.
Wyness concerned about ‘cultural gap’ for Calvo at Aston Villa
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted the potential “cultural gap” for Italian national Calvo will be a concern.
Villa posted a club-record revenue last season after their turnover increased from £217.7million in 2022-23 to £275.7million.
| Position | Team | Played | Points | GD |
| 3 | Man City | 37 | 68 | 26 |
| 4 | Newcastle United | 37 | 66 | 22 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 37 | 66 | 20 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 37 | 66 | 9 |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest | 37 | 65 | 13 |
When asked about Calvo’s appointment, Wyness told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “This brought back memories.
“When I was at Villa, I almost hired an Italian financial director as well. But the reason I stopped was that the more I spoke to him, the more I realised there was a cultural gap.
“There was a cultural gap with Chris Heck as well.
“That’s what would worry me. The fanbase is a loyal, traditional fanbase in a very traditional city.
“I don’t know if Calvo will have the understanding of Birmingham and the Villa fans.
“He may well have done great deals with Juventus, I haven’t looked into the level of deals he’s been involved in.
“In my experience, the Italian clubs do things at a political level – and it isn’t going to be at a political level at Villa.
“We’ve got to see what plays out, but I’d have question marks about his ability to immerse himself quickly in the Villa culture.
“People don’t have long to get into the rhythm of a club. He’s got to hit the ground running straight away.
“If it takes Calvo a year to learn the nuances at Villa, then it’s wrong. I’ve always been a fan of trying to get staff who understand the fans and the environment.
“Villa are showing they want top-level staff, I get all that, but the proof will be in the pudding in terms of the feeling of the club.
“Hopefully, it works out.”
Aston Villa chasing relegated star
Meanwhile, Football Insider has revealed (23 May) that Aston Villa, West Ham and Leeds are eyeing moves for Southampton midfielder Matheus Fernandes.
Fernandes, 20, was one of the relegated club’s shining lights in a disappointing Premier League campaign.
Southampton face a losing fight to keep hold of Fernandes following relegation, with the club valuing him around £25million.
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