Aston Villa chairman Christian Purslow has delivered an update on the club’s financial plans and situation as he reveals the club have torn up a commercial deal which was signed earlier this year.
The Villans were left sweating over their future over the summer thanks to monetary troubles brought on by their failure to seal promotion back to the Premier League, with new owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens making sure the club kept their head above water after taking charge from Dr Tony Xia.
Speaking at a supporter consultation group, as covered by the Express and Star, Purslow revealed that the club’s finances were on track to meet Financial Fair Play regulations, insisting that the Villa Park naming rights were not an avenue being pursued by the club and that they had torn up a five year agreement with Recon over the naming of Bodymoor Heath training ground, a deal which was signed back in April of this year.
Opinion
The financial struggles of Villa would have had nearly everyone at the club, from the board to the fans in the stands, sweating about what sort of direction they would be heading in, but it sounds as though Sawiris and Edens are doing a great job at getting the club back on track. Bringing experienced head Purslow, who spent time with Liverpool, on board seems to have been a masterstroke as he gets down to business behind the scenes, and it seems there were probably a number of deals which were not financially beneficial which had been signed with Xia in charge. However, tearing up the naming rights deal for their training ground is much more than just money – it is tradition. While some clubs might feel the need to cash in on the likes of their stadium name, Villa are a club with a very proud history and getting rid of the Villa Park name would be a travesty, so it is good to see that along with the Bodymoor Heath name being reinstated there are no plans to sell out.