OPINION
Things are a lot different at Aston Villa than they were before the summer, with new owners, new players and now a new manager and backroom staff through the door.
Dean Smith’s arrival as Steve Bruce’s replacement could prove to be the final piece of this ever-growing puzzle at Villa Park, with the new influx of players, which were secured using funds from the fresh investors, failing to hit the ground running under the former manager.
However, the worry over the financial fair plays rules and the club’s monetary status would have left a couple of the Villa faithful worried heading forward, with concerns that the club would not be able to dip into their pockets and splash out when needed.
Chief executive Christian Purslow has moved to address these fears, making a major behind-the-scenes reveal which should not only allay the worries of supporters but get them excited about what lies ahead.
He told the Birmingham Mail: “I’m not just confident, I’m highly respectful of the regime. It changes nothing. We are determined to support our new management team in improving this squad where needing to do so and can easily do so with the financial resources within the rules.
“We’re moving in the right direction. Thanks to our new majority owners, we have a completely clean balance sheet, the financial problems the club had incurred were all cleared with the investors’ money and we now have a very strong financial base.”
Having cleared off all the issues suffered by Dr Tony Xia during his stint in charge, it leaves Villa in a situation to spend much more than they were able to in summer, and with Smith now at the helm, there is a longevity that was not guaranteed under Bruce, who seemed under pressure from day one.
The new owners have not had the opportunity to show their financial clout in the transfer market as yet but after Purslow’s comments, the club must be on their way to a game changing January, where players are shipped out and new recruits are brought in.
A lot could depend on Smith’s ability to reignite the club’s transfer push but he will no doubt have plenty of targets he wants to boost his chances of success, and now the club can afford to splash out.