‘Aston Villa face £50m hit in new blow’ – Stefan Borson
Aston Villa are firmly in the race to qualify for the Champions League again after featuring in the competition this season.
Unai Emery’s side currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, but they are just three points behind fourth-place Newcastle United, with five Champions League spots on offer to top-flight clubs.
The West Midlands giants have faced profit and sustainability (PSR) issues after their heavy spending in recent years.
Under the PSR rules, Premier League clubs are only permitted to lose £105million over a rolling three-year period.
Villa posted a club-record revenue in 2023-24 after their turnover increased from £217.7million in 2022-23 to £275.7million, while their losses fell from £119.6million to £85.4million.
Douglas Luiz, Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman all moved on before last year’s accounting deadline to help them avoid a spending breach.
Finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Villa could miss out on up to £50million of revenue if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Borson previously told Football Insider Villa likely earned £100million in Champions League prize money and matchday revenue this season.
Emery’s side were knocked out of the competition in the quarter-finals last month after suffering a 5-4 defeat against PSG on aggregate.
Aston Villa facing PSR questions after Champions League blow
Borson insisted there will be a big financial difference between playing in the Champions League and Europa League for Villa next season.
He told Football Insider: “If they don’t get Champions League, the impact is obviously on next season.
“There will be a financial benefit this season if they don’t get Champions League because there will be some bonuses if they got Champions League, so they won’t pay that if they miss out.
“That might help them with the PSR situation in 2024-25. But of course, the impact is very great next season because the reality is you’re going to get five home games minimum, plus you’re going to get let’s say €70million (£59.3million) minimum of Uefa money from the Champions League.
“I would think if you then compare it to what you get in the Europa League, the question is whether you sell out all the games. You certainly don’t get the same prices.
“The prize money is maybe €50-60million (£42.4-50.9million) less, so that’s a very significant difference.
“The question for Villa will be what do they do with their cost base in that scenario? What do they do with their wage bill in that scenario? Do they continue to invest?
“Do they continue to run PSR close all the way through to 30 June next year, and then say we’ll fix it right at the end? Do they take a chance that PSR is going and they’re going to bring in squad control? What happens with the European FFP?
“We don’t know the answers to any of that.”
Aston Villa plan to accept Leon Bailey offers
Football Insider revealed on 30 April Villa plan to accept offers for Leon Bailey ahead of the summer transfer window.
Emery is keen to offload the 27-year-old and bring in a new winger capable of providing more of a cutting edge.
| Appearances | 37 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 4 |
The Jamaica international, whose contract expires in 2027, has registered just two goals and four assists in 37 appearances this season.
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