Last month, a report from the Daily Mail stated that Aston Villa have been warned by the Premier League about potentially having to sell some key players in order to stabilise their finances.
Aston Villa faced significant financial setbacks, reporting losses of £119.6 million for the fiscal year ending on May 30, 2023, surpassing the permitted limit of £105 million over a three-year period. Consequently, the club may be compelled to offload a key player to circumvent potential points deductions, as outlined in the report from the Daily Mail.
However, despite this challenge, Don Goodman remains optimistic, suggesting alternative strategies to navigate the financial constraints and maintain the club’s competitive edge.
Don Goodman wants Aston Villa to sell fringe players instead of selling key players
Speaking to Villa News, Goodman explained: “If I was Unai Emery I’d want to keep the spine of the team, which includes Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez and the central defenders.
“There will be a lot of players on the periphery who they could still get reasonable money for. So for me rather than selling any star players I’d rather they sold three or four of the fringe players they can get money for, and instead keep hold of the core of the group really.”
It’s an interesting proposition by Goodman, but if Aston Villa want to sign some proven Champions League calibre players they may have to sell at least one of those players listed by Goodman.
Managing both Champions League and Premier League fixtures will prove exceedingly challenging, especially if additional players are not recruited. Newcastle United have found that out the hard way this season, which has led to them suffering multiple soft tissue injuries all campaign.
It’s imperative Villa learn from the mistakes made by the Magpies and find a balance between keeping the spine of the team together, while adding plenty of depth.