Villa face financial problems
ASTON VILLA will have to fill a huge financial black hole this summer after their Premier League dreams died.
They are resigned to losing some of their prized assets after they fell at the final hurdle.
They have concerns over meeting Financial Fair Play rules, but more worrying are their ongoing commitments.
Several players, including Australia international Mile Jedinak and striker Scott Hogan, are paid £2million a year.
Others, such as Ross McCormack and Micah Richards, are pocketing significant sums and have not even played for the club this season.
And that wage bill is proving prohibitive for owner Tony Xia, with losses running into tens of millions of pounds.
That means a swingeing reduction in costs will have to take place – with the likelihood that Villa will have to cash in on their on-field assets.
Talented youngster Jack Grealish is the most likely to be sacrificed and will command a fee likely to be in excess of £20m.
Defender James Chester and strikers Jonathan Kodjia and Albert Adomah are also likely to be offloaded.
They are also awaiting a response from the government as the club seeks compensation for the HS2 rail line that cuts through a corner of Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground.
That could be a substantial sum, but reports the club may sell the Recon complex appear to be a last resort. ASTON VILLA FULHAM 2 ............ Shots on Target ......... 3 6 ........... Shots off Target ......... 9 4 ............. Blocked Shots .......... 3 0 ................... Corners ................ 3 14 ..................... Fouls .................. 15 3 ................... Offsides ................. 1 4 ............... Yellow Cards ............. 1 0 ................. Red Cards ............... 1 79.3 ...... Passing Success .... 81.9 16 ................... Tackles ................ 14 56.3 ...... Tackles Won % ..... 42.9 49 .............. Possession ............ 51 53 ........ Territorial Adv % ..... 47 392 ........... Total Passes ........ 419 19 ............. Total Crosses ........... 9 39.1 .......... 1st Half Poss ....... 60.9 62.3 ....... 2nd Half Poss . ...... 37.7