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One of Villa's previous owners, Randy Lerner lost in the region of $450 when he was forced to sell up and get out as outside consultants reckoned that if he didn't he'd probably lose the same again before he could (if ever) get Villa back into the PL. It seems that they knew what they were talking about.
Then came Tony Xia - no one seems to know exactly how much he lost, but it looks to be close to £150-200 mill, or more, so badly did it screw his cashflow for his main businesses that in the end Villa couldn't even pay a £4.1 million tax bill.
Then comes their current owners, another two American Billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.
They have just had to put in another £17 mill in to keep the club afloat, which now means they too are now in for over £260 mill. A report I've just read seems to indicate they they may be forced to continue to fund the club on this basis for sometime to come.
Last summer the club sold the stadium to the two club owners for near £60 mill so as to avoid the PL's FFPR, and did a 'sale and leashback' - so far this sale has not been approved as the suspicion is the valuation has been artificially held down; if this is not agreed soon, chances are Villa will be heading for a breach of the FFPR rules for the financial year 2018/19; if so, come the summer a fire-sale is a huge possibility It's 2017/18 losses were over £39 mill, it's 2019/19 losses are yet to be published, but are expected to be of a similar or even greater size after their £80 mill splurge the previous year when they took over, they may if the stadium sale is agreed just squeak under the FFPR breach levels.
Villa currently lie in 17th position. If they go down the club over the last 5 seasons will have had around £1 billion pumped in with no break-even in sight (Villa fans simply don't/won't pay the ticket prices we do).
There is already talk in some quarters (although in fairness I think this is highly speculative) that these billionaires will also look to give the club away or find new investors.
If ever a club was a 'gamble' that spending big would surge them up the PL table, this is as clearest an example as you will ever see. Now that gamble looks like a fight for PL survival.
Either way this all leads to a great club that cannot self-finance and be competitive.
As great as it's history has been, can we really call them a PL club, as unless they stay up and have a huge slice of luck it's a club that will continuously make losses and will for the foreseeable future be relying on yet another set of billionaires who have more money than sense?
If it goes down this time, surely there will be no one stupid enough to save it yet again, if that's the case, just how fast could it sink down the leagues.
Villa's fanbase has been through hell and back and have lived through three potential bankruptcies, only to 'enjoy' a last second save each time. Villa have a great fanbase so I feel for their fans, but you have to wonder how long this can go on for.
The one thing for sure, if they go - there are going to be some rich pickings in their squad; and the one of course I've been begging the club to buy from four seasons ago; Grealish.
Who else should we look at if they go down?
Then came Tony Xia - no one seems to know exactly how much he lost, but it looks to be close to £150-200 mill, or more, so badly did it screw his cashflow for his main businesses that in the end Villa couldn't even pay a £4.1 million tax bill.
Then comes their current owners, another two American Billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.
They have just had to put in another £17 mill in to keep the club afloat, which now means they too are now in for over £260 mill. A report I've just read seems to indicate they they may be forced to continue to fund the club on this basis for sometime to come.
Last summer the club sold the stadium to the two club owners for near £60 mill so as to avoid the PL's FFPR, and did a 'sale and leashback' - so far this sale has not been approved as the suspicion is the valuation has been artificially held down; if this is not agreed soon, chances are Villa will be heading for a breach of the FFPR rules for the financial year 2018/19; if so, come the summer a fire-sale is a huge possibility It's 2017/18 losses were over £39 mill, it's 2019/19 losses are yet to be published, but are expected to be of a similar or even greater size after their £80 mill splurge the previous year when they took over, they may if the stadium sale is agreed just squeak under the FFPR breach levels.
Villa currently lie in 17th position. If they go down the club over the last 5 seasons will have had around £1 billion pumped in with no break-even in sight (Villa fans simply don't/won't pay the ticket prices we do).
There is already talk in some quarters (although in fairness I think this is highly speculative) that these billionaires will also look to give the club away or find new investors.
If ever a club was a 'gamble' that spending big would surge them up the PL table, this is as clearest an example as you will ever see. Now that gamble looks like a fight for PL survival.
Either way this all leads to a great club that cannot self-finance and be competitive.
As great as it's history has been, can we really call them a PL club, as unless they stay up and have a huge slice of luck it's a club that will continuously make losses and will for the foreseeable future be relying on yet another set of billionaires who have more money than sense?
If it goes down this time, surely there will be no one stupid enough to save it yet again, if that's the case, just how fast could it sink down the leagues.
Villa's fanbase has been through hell and back and have lived through three potential bankruptcies, only to 'enjoy' a last second save each time. Villa have a great fanbase so I feel for their fans, but you have to wonder how long this can go on for.
The one thing for sure, if they go - there are going to be some rich pickings in their squad; and the one of course I've been begging the club to buy from four seasons ago; Grealish.
Who else should we look at if they go down?
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