Aston Villa being 'dragged' into Wes Edens case: 'It may be immensely distracting'
Aston Villa could be keeping a close eye on a case in America involving their co-owner Wes Edens, according to Keith Wyness.
The former Aston Villa chief executive, speaking to Football Insider, believes Edens may currently be sidetracked from his duties at the club.
Edens is the victim of an alleged extortion plot, with the news emerging just days after Aston Villa had reached the Europa League final with victory over Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest.
It also comes after the company jointly owned by Edens which administers Aston Villa, NSWE, revealed a pre-tax loss of £96.7million in their latest financial accounts.
However, Aston Villa's return to the Champions League will boost revenue, as the club looks to compete with Europe's elite.
Aston Villa 'have got enough on their plate' without Wes Eden case
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs - thinks NSWE's losses are not that damaging right now to Aston Villa.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness though believes that Edens' case is a "distraction" they would not have wanted.
| Total Turnover | £391m |
| Wages-To-Turnover | 71% |
| Matchday Revenue | £80m |
| Commercial Revenue | £71m |
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “There are some fascinating stories coming out of America about Wes Edens and a personal case that he’s having right now.
"It may be distracting him immensely because it’s a very sordid case that’s being reported in America about basically a demand for either extortion or settlement, depending on which way you want to look at it, for up to a billion pounds.
"Villa are getting dragged into this story because he’s part owner of the team. Distractions that can not help sometimes. But anyway, we’ll see how this one plays out.
"Nevertheless, Villa have got enough on their plate. With the Champions League, and with a final to look forward to, I think they’re going to be ok, even with these sorts of losses.”
Aston Villa earn £30m boost after successful season
Former Manchester City advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider that Aston Villa have outperformed their financial expectations this season.
The Villans secured a top five Premier League finish, and Champions League football next season, with a game to spare following a 4-2 win over Liverpool.
Their run in the Europa League will also have handed the club over £30m in prize money, which will help them in the summer transfer window.
Unai Emery is still expected to have to sell players before he can spend heavily this summer, with the futures of John McGinn, Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez all in doubt.