Premier League trophy
Premier League trophy Credit: PA Wire/PA Images
In a different time, Aston Villacould be riding a wave and cementing themselves as a contender for the Premier League title.The success of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League would tempt their wealthy owners into buying the best players to compete regularly on that stage.That can't happen now because of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) that are well intentioned, but are in some cases throttling ambition.It is all based on revenue, so a club the size of Manchester United can finish 15th but still blow Villa out of the water, even though Unai Emery's side finished 6th. This summer United spent over £200m on players, whilst Villa scraped around for loans and spent less than £30m. At that rate, it will not take long for United to overtake and there is next to nothing that Villa's owners can do about it.
Damian Vidagany, Villa's Director of Football Operations posted on X once the window closed: "The clubs with revenues and no results, they spend fast and spend stronger to wipe us from [the] top."The other harsh reality of PSR rules is that it's encouraging a league of players with little or no connection to the club they play for. It is much more profitable to sell a star who has come through the academy because it goes through as pure profit on the books.We've seen that with Jacob Ramsey at Villa who was sold to Newcastle United. A club, ironically, who have similar issues with PSR.Elsewhere, West Bromwich Albionsold Tom Fellows to Southampton for £10m. Leicester Citysold Kasey McAteer to Ipswich and Stoke Citysold 18-year-old Sol Sidibe to PSV Eindhoven.
There are exceptions in the Midlands, Nottingham Forest were able to spend £100m because of the increased revenue they expect from qualifying for the Europa League.The big question there is if head coach Nuno Espírito Santo is happy with the new players? Sporting Director Edu has made his mark with these signings but Nuno's recent comments suggest he hasn't been as involved as he would like.This is also a small window of opportunity. Forest have been burnt before and got a points deduction last year for breaching PSR. They will always be close to the line.
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Birmingham City are also current winners with the PSR rules. That's because of the season they spent in League One. The rules in that league are different and mean owners can pump in more money.Blues spent more on Jay Stansfield than Stoke City have spent in three windows.Stoke are arguably the biggest losers of PSR because of the gap between how wealthy their owners are and how much revenue the club generates.The mood appears to be shifting on PSR and changes may well come. Perhaps then a Midlands club will appeal more than those who were in the right place at the right time.