Richard Keys has slammed Aston Villa’s owners for ‘hiding behind PSR excuses’ after the club spent just £40m in the summer transfer window, claiming the West Midlands side have ‘gone backwards’ instead of competing with their Premier League rivals.
Unai Emery’s team are winless after the first four games of the season, with two points and no goals, and Keys has pointed to Villa’s recent transfer activity as a potential reason.
The Villans’ underwhelming window saw only two players arrive for a fee – goalkeeper Marco Bizot and forward Evann Guessand – while Victor Lindelof joined on a free and Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott signed on loan.
Keys says Villa ‘stood still’ in the market while other Premier League clubs emptied their pockets, splashing out a record £3.29bn in a single window, which saw them ‘streak away’ from Emery’s side.
Keys: ‘I Don’t Buy Villa’s PSR Excuses’
richard keys
Keys, writing in his blog, claimed Villa’s owners ‘don’t want to spend’, while admitting he has ‘no evidence’ to support the theory:
“It doesn’t take a genius to work out why. In a year when PL clubs spent a record £3.29b in the window Villa shelled out just £40m. They haven’t stood still - they’ve gone backwards and every single one of the teams they might see as rivals has streaked away from them.
“I don’t buy PSR excuses. They apply to every club, but seem not to affect their ambitions. Chelsea spend as they like. Newcastle weren’t shy in the last window. Nor were Forest (again), nor United (again). So why are Villa so publicly scared?
“I have no evidence to support this theory, but my feeling is the owners - Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris and American billionaire Wes Edens - don’t want to spend. They’re hiding behind PSR excuses.
“My gut tells me something else is going on, but I’ve no idea what. And I can’t think of a good reason why. But something feels wrong.”
Villa’s summer business also saw them part with several first-team players, including midfielder Jacob Ramsey, who joined Newcastle in a deal worth a reported £40m.
The club were also considering selling goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who failed to attract any concrete interest despite ongoing links with Manchester United.
Villa sit 19th in the Premier League with no goals scored in their first four games – two draws and two defeats – and next face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
Emery’s side finally found the net in their 4-2 defeat to Brentford on penalties in the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday, with Harvey Elliott’s opener cancelled out by Aaron Hickey’s second-half strike.