Tony Xia makes honest admission on Aston Villa campaign after loss to Ipswich, fans will be worried
By Will Butcher
Tony Xia has admitted that he underestimated how hard the Championship would be after taking over as Aston Villa chairman.
Villa suffered a 1-0 loss to Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich on Saturday at Villa Park, compounding a dismal run of form that now stretches to eight games without victory.
Posting on his personal Twitter account, the 42-year-old owner revealed that gaining an instant return to the Premier League was “harder than expected”.
Xia, 42, has spent more than £50million on 16 new players this season, bringing in the likes of Jonathan Kodjia, James Chester and Scott Hogan for huge transfer fees.
But now in 16th place, the relegated Premier League side are falling by the wayside with a potential relegation battle now on the cards.
Sitting just seven points off the bottom three, Villa will be worryingly looking over their shoulder with a tough run of games coming up against the likes of Newcastle, Derby and Huddersfield.
16 points off the Championship play-offs, the Midlands outfit must now be looking to readjust their season ambitions, and aim for mid-table safety, with the aim of gaining promotion next time round.
However, Xia’s verdict will be a worrying one for Villa fans, as the Chinese owner is renowned for looking at the brighter perspective of his side’s performances.
Villa next face Barnsley at Oakwell on Tuesday night, that sees January signings Conor Hourihane and James Bree return to their old side.
In other Aston Villa news, Stan Collymore has revealed he has apologised to Xia after making this comment.
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