Stefan Borson raises red flag as 'record' Aston Villa deal completed

Aston Villa's new partnership with Betano could be impacted by Champions League qualification at Villa Park.

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that Villa's "record" deal will "cover up a few wrinkles".

Supporters had believed that the club's time with Betano had come to an end, with the gambling company switching to Tottenham Hotspur's training kit sponsor for the 2026-27 season.

They have since returned to Villa Park in a deal that is understood to be worth more than the Villans' previous sleeve sponsor, Trade Nation, worth in the region of £2million.

The exact figure is unknown, but according to Borson, the best-case scenario of £7m-£10m should not be expected by those looking to buy next season's kit.

Much of the talk at Villa Park has been out the club's lack of sponsors, but having agreed a controversial deal with Visit Rwanda as the front-of-shirt, focus can return to the pitch now.

Betano deal to 'cover up quite a few wrinkles'

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson refused to get fans' hopes up of a big windfall, suggesting that success on the pitch could impact it down the line as well.

"The best of these deals are £7m-£10m range. I doubt it's as much as that for Villa. One question is whether they can run it in the Champions League," he said.

"I'm not 100 per cent sure they can. That obviously makes a big difference to the value. But they've said it's the record that they've signed.

"That can cover up quite a few wrinkles and clauses. You can never really be completely sure because it might be that it's the biggest deal if you included a whole range of bonuses.

"But all of these incremental deals are important and need to be done. And we know how hard it is."

Aston Villa become controversial on and off the pitch

The Visit Rwanda deal is not the only move that has raised some eyebrows at Villa Park, with Unai Emery attempting to rebuild his squad this summer.

Losing Morgan Rogers was inevitable, but with a £117m fee in return, the Villans have no excuse not to sign reinforcements ahead of 2026-27.

However, many are baffled by the decision to sign Alejandro Garnacho on loan from Chelsea, and a lot of others are annoyed at how it bypasses UEFA's 45-day player trading rules.

While deals for Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes have also been completed, several areas still need addressing if Villa are going to stand a chance next season.