Kieran Maguire: Aston Villa face 'huge' cost after game-changing development

Aston Villa face 'huge costs' after qualifying for the Europa Conference League for the first time in club history.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the economic impact of Villa's European qualification.

The Birmingham-based side secured seventh spot in the Premier League on the final day of the season with a 2-1 win over Brighton.

Villa are now set to play European football for the first time since 2010 after qualifying for the Europa Conference League for the first time in club history.

As per official Uefa documents, Unai Emery's side will pocket £2.5million for reaching the group stage of the tournament with extra revenue available based on performance-based bonuses.

Football Insider sources revealed that Villa could earn a total £20million from their Europa Conference League.

But despite Uefa's payments, Maguire insists European qualification will be equally as expensive in the transfer window.

"The qualification for Europe is very much one for the Aston Villa fans," Maguire told Football Insider's Sean Fisher.

"By finishing seventh, Villa fans can look forward to a few trips across Europe, but the financial benefits of the Conference League are pretty minimal.

"You only get a couple of million for qualifying and around £400,000 per victory.

"Against that, you have the challenge of increasing the squad size to play midweek matches as well as on the weekend.

"Therefore, there could be huge costs in the transfer window and there will be bonuses towards staff and players for qualifying for Europe."

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