‘Aston Villa set for financial rule breach’ after Deloitte reveal
Aston Villa continue to face issues complying with the Premier League’s spending rules as they look to close the gap on the top clubs.
Unai Emery’s side qualified for the Champions League last season after finishing fourth in the Premier League table.
The West Midlands giants made it through to the last 16 of the competition, having registered five victories and one draw in their eight league phase fixtures.
They then beat Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate in their last-16 showdown to make it through to the quarter-finals, where they will face PSG for a place in the semi-finals.
Villa have already landed a £69million windfall from the competition, providing their finances with a significant boost for this campaign.
They posted a club-record revenue in 2023-24, with their turnover increasing from £217.7million in 2022-23 to £275.7million.
Meanwhile, Villa’s losses fell from £119.6million to £85.4million last season as they look to bring down their costs.
Aston Villa could have purposely breached financial rules
Villa are yet to publish their full accounts on Companies House for 2023-24, but Deloitte’s 2025 Money League revealed their wage bill rose from £194million in 2022-23 to £252million last season.
That would put them in trouble with Uefa after clubs in European competitions were required to keep spending on player wages and fees to 80 per cent of revenue as part of the squad cost ratio (SCR) rules for the 2024 calendar year.
Interestingly, Villa noted in a statement on their website earlier this week their losses are “in line with the strategic business plan” and they “continue to operate within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules”.
However, there was no mention of the club complying with Uefa’s spending rules, which indicates they have likely broken the financial regulations.
There have been suggestions Villa could have purposely breached Uefa’s rules as part of their plans to qualify for the Champions League last season.
The likely punishment will be a fine and, given it’s their first offence, it could be a relatively small sum.
Chelsea are also expected to have breached Uefa’s rules following their heavy spending.
| Games Played | 10 |
| Wins | 7 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Quarter-finals Opponent | PSG |
Aston Villa could land financial boost after stunning twist
There is a chance Villa could be close to the limit again this year unless they have brought down their wage bill substantially, which seems unlikely given some of their high-profile signings across the campaign.
Villa could continue to boost their revenue for this season if they progress into the semi-finals of the Champions League, while they are also still in contention to qualify for the competition again domestically.
Emery’s side currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, three points behind fifth-place Manchester City, with five Champions League spots expected to be on offer as England is comfortably clear in Uefa’s coefficient rankings.
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