Keith Wyness launches attack on Premier League after big Aston Villa development
Former Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness says the Premier League have got their financial regulations “wrong” with the club now facing issues after recording £139million of losses.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Everton between 2004 and 2009, as well as Villa from 2016 to 2018, and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – backed the “excellent” owners at Villa Park to handle their financial losses.
Aston Villa published their 2022-23 accounts to Companies House this week, revealing they made an overall loss of £139million before player sales.
Unai Emery’s side are currently fourth in the Premier League and are firmly in the race for Champions League qualification, but they could be forced to sell first-team stars this summer in order to comply with financial regulations.
Aston Villa “restricted” by financial rules as ex-chief hits out
Wyness criticised the financial rules in the Premier League, explaining that Manchester United and Chelsea will both be free to spend in the summer despite being below Villa in the table.
“I’ve got to say the owners at Aston Villa are excellent operators – they’re very intelligent, very professional people,” Wyness told Football Insider.
“They’re obviously aware of these numbers and I have mentioned before that Unai Emery will want to trim his squad anyway so I think they’re going to be okay on this.
“But it brings into complete focus the folly of the present PSR rules.
“Villa have not exactly broken the bank – they’re trying to compete against the clubs above them and yet they’re being restricted again in trying to improve.
“The owners have got resources and they’ve not filled the club with debt.
“They’re beating Chelsea and Man United in the table yet they can go ahead and spend more money while Villa can’t – it just seems wrong at the moment.“
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