Villa Just Pulled the Ultimate Chelsea Move (And I'm Not Sure How I Feel About It)

By Lewis Barnett 30 June, 2025 5 mins read 54 Views

So here we are again. Another Premier League club doing financial gymnastics that would make an Olympic athlete jealous.

Aston Villa – yeah, the same Villa that's been riding high with their European adventures – just agreed to sell their women's team to... themselves. For £55 million. To their own parent company. Hours before the PSR deadline hit on June 30th.

I mean, technically it's legal. But damn if it doesn't feel like watching someone find a loophole in Monopoly rules.

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The Numbers Game That Makes My Head Spin

Here's how this whole thing works, and trust me, I had to read it three times before it clicked. Villa's also in talks to offload a 10% chunk of the women's team to some American investors for £5.5m. That little transaction? It basically sets the "market value" for the entire team at around £60m.

Once that's done, boom – they can justify selling the remaining 90% to V Sports (their parent company owned by Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris) and slap those proceeds right into their 2024-25 accounts.

The Premier League requires these internal sales to be "reasonable." And apparently, if someone else is willing to pay that rate for 10%, then the whole team must be worth that much. Makes sense on paper, I guess.

Chelsea Did It First (Of Course They Did)

Remember when Chelsea pulled this exact stunt last year? They sold their women's team to BlueCo – their own parent company – for nearly £200m. This was right after Reddit's founder Alexis Ohanian bought an 8% stake, conveniently setting up that valuation.

Todd Boehly's been on this insane spending spree since taking over in May 2022, and somehow Chelsea keeps dancing around PSR violations like they're Neo dodging bullets in The Matrix.

Villa's just following the playbook now.

But Wait, There's More!

Villa isn't stopping at the women's team either. Word is they're eyeing similar accounting magic for "The Warehouse" – their new events space that won't even open until December 2025. They're talking about valuing it at £50m.

For a venue that doesn't exist yet.

Look, I get it. Villa hasn't been throwing money around like Chelsea, but even their European campaigns and relatively modest spending has them sweating over that £105m three-year loss threshold. Nobody wants to be the next Everton, facing point deductions and all that drama.

The Deadline Dance

The club says they're "confident" they'll stay within regulations. And here's the kicker – even though the PSR deadline was Monday, June 30th, they can still count these sales in their accounts as long as everything was agreed "in principle" before the cutoff.

So basically, a handshake deal at 11:59 PM counts.

I don't know about you, but something about all this feels... off. Not illegal, not even technically wrong, but like we're watching the spirit of financial fair play get twisted into a pretzel. These women's teams are being treated like accounting assets rather than, you know, actual football clubs with players and fans and history.

Villa's gonna stay compliant, Chelsea's gonna keep spending, and the rest of us are left wondering if this is really what PSR was supposed to prevent in teh first place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a financial regulation in place for the Premier League?

Yes, there are financial regulations in the Premier League, also called Financial Fair Play or FFP rules. These are designed to prevent clubs spending more than they can afford and to promote stability. These rules require that clubs limit their losses and make sure they do not outspend their revenues from football activities. The regulations have been put in place as a way to encourage responsible expenditure and to maintain the competitive balance of the league.

What do you think of the Premier League concept called the 'Big Six?

The term 'Big Six" refers to the Premier League clubs that have been most influential and successful in recent years. Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur are typically on the list. These teams have a reputation for a consistently high performance, a huge fan base and financial strength, as well as qualifying frequently for European competitions.

What is VAR's role in Premier League?

In the Premier League system, Video Assistant Referee is used by referees to make correct decisions on goals, penalty calls, direct red-card incidents and in cases of mistaken identities. The VAR analyses the footage in question, advises and guides the referee. Before making a decision, the referee has the option of viewing a playback on the pitchside screen. The system attempts to minimize the human errors which could impact the outcome of a football match.

What happens to teams who finish bottom of the Premier League table?

At the end each Premier League, teams who finish in the lowest three positions on the league table, are relegated down to the Championship. The Championship is the second level of English Football. In their place, the top two teams from the Championship, along with the winner of the Championship playoffs, are promoted to the Premier League for the following season.

How is the Premier League determined?

The winner of the Premier League is the team that accrues the highest number of points over the course of the 38-game season. Teams earn three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. If two teams have the same amount of points at the end of the season, the winner will be determined by their goal difference. If there is still a tie, the winner may be decided by a playoff, which can take place at a neutral location. This scenario, however, has never happened in Premier League history.

Statistics

In the 1995–96 season, Manchester United achieved the largest title-winning margin, finishing 18 points clear of the second-placed team.
The 2018–19 season saw Manchester City accumulate a staggering 100 points, setting the record for the highest total in Premier League history.
The record for the most goals scored in a single Premier League season by a player is 32, achieved by Mohamed Salah during the 2017-2018 campaign.
Durability is exemplified by Gareth Barry who made an impressive 653 Premier League appearances, the highest number to date.
Arsenal boasts an unbeaten streak of 49 Premier League matches from May 2003 to October 2004, the longest in the history of the league.

External Links

How To

How To Support Your Premier League Team Abroad

To support your Premier League club from abroad, you must join the global fan group. Many clubs have international fan branches that you can join. Stay informed by engaging with your team and other supporters on social media platforms. If available, you can subscribe to your team’s official streaming services. These often feature exclusive content and match coverage. Find local bars or fan clubs where other fans gather to share a matchday experience.