EXCLUSIVE: Aston Villa have been told they may have to halt their progress to stay compliant with the Premier League's new rules
Unai Emery manger / head coach of Aston Villa reacts during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Aston Villa at Vitality Stadium on February 07, 2026 in Bournemouth, England.
Aston Villa's progress may be stalled by new Squad-Cost Ratio rules(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA, Getty Images)
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Aston Villa have been warned they might need to put the brakes on their ambitions to comply with the Premier League's new financial regulations.
Since Unai Emery’s appointment as manager in late 2022, Villa have gone from strength to strength. Having clinched Champions League qualification in 2023/24, followed by reaching the FA Cup semi-finals and the Champions League quarter-finals last season, the club are edging closer towards becoming a powerhouse again.
But while that is the case on the pitch, with Emery’s men currently third in the highly competitive Premier League table, they are still some way off their rivals in terms of finances and the ability to stamp their authority on the transfer window.
The main obstacle for Villa is the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). After more than ten years, PSR will be abolished at the end of this season and replaced by the Squad-Cost Ratio (SCR), which caps clubs at spending no more than 85% of their football revenue and net profit or loss from transfers, with sporting sanctions dished out to those who breach the limit.
It is similar to UEFA’s existing earnings and squad cost rule, which Villa fell foul of and had to pay £9.5million in fines last year after failing to comply with their three-year settlement.
Football finance expert Dan Plumley has now discussed with Birmingham Live the potential consequences the Premier League’s new financial regulations could have on Villa. He suggests the club may be forced to offload players and restrict their summer spending.
Jamal Jimoh-Aloba of Aston Villa celebrates after scoring against RB Salzburg
Aston Villa have done well despite their financial constraints(Image: Getty Images)
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The 2026 Deloitte Football Money League, which examined the world's highest revenue-generating clubs for 2024/25, revealed Villa are trailing the traditional 'Big Six' by some distance with £378m in recorded revenue, despite this being a sharp increase from £276m in 2023/24.
Plumley explained: “The biggest clubs are well set to continue their kind of dominance in that [financial] position, especially from a revenue perspective where we're seeing record breaking revenues for clubs like Liverpool and Manchester City. So it's going to be more of the same for the ‘Big Six’ I think, even with this change in regulations.
“It gives the ambitious clubs more of a challenge. We've seen this a little bit with Aston Villa and Newcastle already. Those ones that are not quite in that ‘Big Six’ bracket but are trying to get there, that's where the battleground is because they've got to overstretch financially at the minute to be able to get there and, of course, we've seen Villa get fined by UEFA. We've heard Newcastle be very vocal about PSR.”
He added: “It's those challenger clubs that are going to feel the real challenge in the middle of the pack in trying to catch up. I think for others, a lot of it is a case of staying compliant. The big challenge is in, ‘How do you break that elite?', because it's pretty fixed at the minute financially.
“It's more the Villas and the Newcastles that you’d think would have to maybe halt their progress. For example, even if Villa finish third, next season we might see a drop off because they'll have to balance the books.
“They've got to comply with UEFA's squad cost too. Getting into the Champions League is a huge boost for them as it will uplift their revenue but their revenue is about £392m and Liverpool's is £729m. So you can see where the challenge is for them to increase revenue. They'll have a bit of work to do with UEFA but we know that anyway. It does depend on whether or not you get into those Champions League positions.”
Tammy Abraham and Douglas Luiz after Aston Villa's draw with Bournemouth
Villa may have to be frugal with their spending in the summer(Image: Getty)
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Villa’s spending has been restricted in recent windows, though Donyell Malen’s sale in January helped pave the way for the arrival of Tammy Abraham, Alysson and Brian Madjo. Qualifying for next season’s Champions League, which they are on track to do, would reportedly land the club an extra £50m compared to what they will earn in the Europa League this season, alleviating SCR concerns.
There has also been plenty of talk around the club’s wage bill over the past year, which made up 91% of their revenue for 2023/24. But Deloitte, while revealing the wage bill increased to £268m last season, state that only accounted for 71% of their turnover, according to the most recent figures.
Villa placed 14th in the overall Money League rankings, moving up four spots in the 2026 edition. The primary challenge for Villa and Emery is therefore to secure Champions League qualification first and foremost, before acting shrewdly in the summer transfer window and spending within their means as their revenue continues its upward trajectory.