Aston Villa’s directors are holding an emergency meeting today [Monday] to discuss Steve Bruce’s future at the club, as the Midlands outfit severely struggles against its lack of funding, reports the Birmingham Mail.
Tony Xia, who has dropped millions of pounds into the club, had heavily been counting on the team to achieve promotion, and the financial profits found there, but their quest was ultimately ended in the play off final by Fulham.
Villa, who are widely understood to have had to resort to taking out emergency loans, will reportedly have to pay Bruce in excess of £3million if they want to remove him from the wage bill, in what is a bombshell to Xia.
The Birmingham-based outfit are so strapped for cash, it has been reported that they will have to sell a number of their best players to avoid a winding-up order from the HMRC.
Xia is said to be hosting the conference call live from China, and is expected to be joined by the club’s top representatives to find a solution to the issues, and come to a decision regarding Bruce’s future.
OPINION
Going forward, Steve Bruce is the man to take the Claret and Blue back to the big time. The man has four Championship promotions on his CV, and quite clearly deserves the contracts that he earns with consistent managerial approaches. If Tony Xia really wants his team to achieve Premier League status then he will have to find a way to balance the bank, and pay the man. Villa do face a tough few years, as the resources, player’s and ultimately managers, should Bruce be released from his contract, will all be at a lower standard than the fans have accustomed to over the two past seasons, and you get the sense that a rebuild is needed from within. Should Xia and his directors be able to formulate a solid plan, a good starting point would be to find a way to keep Bruce, and his invaluable Championship experience, at Villa Park, before they think about bringing anyone in. It might be a tense conference call, but it is a necessary one for the club’s future.