Former Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow
Former Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow(Image: PA)
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Former Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow believes Unai Emery will back himself to improve the squad despite already losing three key players this summer.
Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United earlier this month after his £35 million release clause was activated, before Morgan Rogers completed a record-breaking £117 million move to Chelsea, making him the most expensive British player in history.
Meanwhile, Lucas Digne is set to join Paris Saint-Germain after the French champions activated his release clause, which was worth just under £10 million.
There is also interest in Villa trio Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Emiliano Martínez, but the club can surely ill afford to lose any more of its key players.
Speaking on the Football Boardroom podcast, Purslow discussed how UEFA's financial regulations are affecting clubs such as Aston Villa and Newcastle United, preventing them from spending freely despite having owners with the financial resources to do so.
“The two biggest challenging clubs are Aston Villa and Newcastle, with extremely ambitious and extremely well-financed ownership, more or less, being forced to sell their best players for a combination of regulatory reasons and also commercial advantages for the big six, because the rules favour those clubs with commercial superiority.
“I think that is pretty sad. We are sitting here, looking down the barrel of two challenger clubs who have to replace their best players, and Villa haven’t just lost Morgan Rogers, but Youri Tielemans to Manchester United and Lucas Digne to Paris Saint-Germain. Three starters, gone.
“Newcastle, blimey, it’s more extreme. Really, their three best players in Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and maybe Bruno too. Villa have signed the lad from Switzerland… but how do you replace Morgan? He had 25 goal involvements at Premier League level - how do you replace that? Not with one player but several.
“I think Unai is the most ambitious manager in the league. I don't think that he would have tolerated a situation where not a lot happened in the summer. In other words, he will be a manager who is always looking to improve.
“He will have known that the financial regulations straightjacket that UEFA have on them meant that if he wants anyone in, then he has to get people out. I’m sure that it would have been a pretty grown-up arrangement that one of those players leaving would be Morgan.
“I don’t know if Tielemans was one. That clause which saw him leave, I'm not sure Villa would have wanted him to leave. Unai will back himself to use the proceeds and go again.”
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