‘Aston Villa face sporting sanction after UEFA talks’
Aston Villa’s senior figures have been working from the club’s training campus focused on finding a solution to their financial challenges.
The Villains avoided a sanction from the Premier League by remaining compliant with the league’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
The Midlands club were thought to be at risk of failing PSR after missing out on Champions League qualification on the final day of the season, after a controversial 2-0 loss to Man United, marred by a horrendous refereeing performance.
However, Villa sold their women’s team to V Sports, the company that owns the club, in a move seemingly inspired by Chelsea’s decision to sell their women’s team earlier in the season.
But whilst that sale was enough to guarantee their compliance with PSR before the 30 June accounting deadline, UEFA will wipe out the profits from the sale for compliance with their squad cost rules (SCR).
And according to The Athletic, Villa will need to “discernibly trim the wage bill” to avoid a punishment from UEFA.
Aston Villa bosses focused on UEFA regulations
As reported, Villa have claimed they are “close to a resolution with UEFA” in relation to a prior issue with compliance from the 2023/24 season.
However, whilst the European governing body has leaned towards monetary sanctions as a form of punishment in recent times, “repeated offenders are more likely to suffer sporting punishments”.
Villa still have a few more months to comply with UEFA’s SCR, but the club “need to discernibly trim the wage bill” whilst also replacing outgoing players.
Senior figures are understood to have been working at the club’s training campus most days throughout the summer, as they are “focused especially on this task and with little time afforded for holidays.”
Club sources revealed Villa’s “wage-to-turnover costs projected in the mid-eighties [per cent”, meaning the club needs to find a way to cut salaries from their accounting books until that figure falls below 70 per cent.
Aston Villa face monumental task slashing wages
Football Insider Verdict
How do you cut down salaries whilst also becoming a better football team? It’s a difficult question to answer, but one that Villa must find a solution to.
The situation they are facing is a formidable one. Selling Ollie Watkins to either Arsenal or Man United seems like an obvious place to start.
The England international is presumably one of the club’s highest earners and would likely bring in a fee that will help balance not only the wage issue, but their turnover costs as well.
However, Villa will then be without a number nine, and if there is one market you do not want to enter at the moment, it is the hunt for a top-level striker as there are so few available right now.
The Villains will likely also look to begin trimming some of the outer edges of their squad. Players like Alex Moreno, Enzo Barrenechea, and Samuel Iling-Junior will all be available this summer, but whether their sales are enough still remains to be seen.