It’s not survive or bust for club owners – Dean
VILLA are safe – financially. Despite the swirling threat of relegation back to the Championship, the club is in good hands.
It’s almost two years since billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens staved off the threat of administration.
While fans might be fearing the worst financially if Villa suffer relegation, head coach Dean Smith has moved to reassure them.
“The short-term future of the club is not in jeopardy,” said Smith, ahead of tonight’s must-win clash with Arsenal at Villa Park.
“We can get relegated and it is one of those things we have to deal with. We’re in great hands with the owners, but we all want to keep our Premier League status. This time next week I’ll know exactly where we’re at but this week we have to do the hard work.
“We are very fortunate as a club to have two billionaire owners, who we are reliant on and who have been fantastic for the football club.
“Each club will be different. If we were to get relegated we would still be in a good position in terms of ownership. We know what is at stake and our ambitions are what they are and why we want to stay in the Premier League.
“The pandemic has hit an awful lot of people. That probably helps us if we remain in the league. Then we’ve got the power to try and go and compete with the bigger clubs.”
Smith was reluctant to discuss the financial hit Villa will take if they fail to pull off an escape act.
“I’ve no idea about the figures, in all honesty. I don’t want to know,’’ he said. “That’s down to the executives to deal with that.
“As I’ve said, we have two billionaire owners who have got ambitions of improving this club as we go. We don’t want to be in the position we are in now, we don’t want to get relegated, but if we did, we have to deal with that.’’
Smith revealed Sawiris and Edens have had plenty to say to the players as they battle to beat the drop. “They’ve passed messages on to the players through me. They’ve asked the team to keep working hard. They’ve said ‘there’s hope’. Without that, what is there?” he continued. “We’re passing on those messages. They are behind the players and myself to maintain the Premier League status.
“We want to do it for them as much as anyone. Wes would have been over if he could have. Both of them have been as supportive as they could have been – if it weren’t for the pandemic.’’