Aston Villa owner Tony Xia has revealed that the club will be far more prudent in the transfer market this summer than they were in the previous two windows of his tenure.
Villa were the biggest spenders in the Championship in January of this year and last summer combined but they are taking a different approach with Steve Bruce now settled in as manager.
Asked by a supporter of the Midlands club on Twitter about the “long” wait for new arrivals at the club, Xia replied the scattergun approach during his first year of ownership would not be repeated as he admitted the failings of the past.
“No panic buys or sells for us now,” Xia said on on his personal Twitter account as he urged fans to be “patient and relaxed”.
The Chinese businessman explained that high calibre incomings were “a must” and said the same of outgoings as he accompanied these with emojis which suggested the need to balance the books.
No panic buys or sells for us now. So, be patient and relaxed. Ins:????is a must; Outs: ??????is a must,no more free Villa market. https://t.co/AKLvQdv4uk
— Dr. Tony Xia (@Dr_TonyXia) July 1, 2017
Supporters will be encouraged that new signings will eventually arrive given that the club failed to punch anywhere near their weight last season despite a strong start under Bruce and finish to the campaign.
Villa finished 13th in the Championship, 18 points adrift of Fulham in the final play-off spot.
They have been strongly linked with signing Chelsea legend John Terry, whose contract with the Premier League champions ended on Friday.