Is it the quiet before the storm at Villa Park at the moment? Under the previous Villa manager, Paul Lambert, teeing up transfers early doors became something of a trademark. But are Tim Sherwood’s hands temporarily tied at the moment, as he waits for the dust to settle with the Aston Villa ownership situation?
Incoming New Aston Villa Owner?
The summer transfer window doesn’t open officially until July 1st, when a player’s registration can be officially transferred. With today’s press reports that a potential bidder for the club has been granted exclusivity (to deal with Randy Lerner), it means a sale of the club could be six weeks away, the period in which due diligence would be completed.
The BBC understands it will not be the consortium led by former Chelsea executive Paul Smith that was rumoured in the press recently.
In short, Villa could have new owners in place before the transfer window officially swings open. Any later would make it an awkward transition for a club seeking desperate improvement on recent seasons.
Of course, there have been takeover rumours for bordering on two years now, this time last year Villa fans were expecting news of Villa’s new owners pretty much every day. MOMS did warn that it would not be the swift process most seem to expect.
Here we are over a year later and still no one is publicly wiser to who the new owner will be, although if the exclusivity has been granted, at least the wheels are finally whirling.
Change?
With the seeming lack of decent managers around English football at the moment, Tim Sherwood would expect to be still be Villa manager whoever takes the reins from Randy Lerner after nine years as Villa chairman.
Whether current Villa CEO Tom Fox stays is another matter. It wasn’t long ago that Fox was trying to convince fans that Lerner was a man reborn when it came to the running of the club, despite the fact the chairman had issued a statement saying his heart wasn’t in it any more, months prior.
One thing is for sure, the appointment of Fox was with the view to step up the dynamism of the business side of Aston Villa. Fox has already begun the restructuring to lay the foundations to boost brand ‘Aston Villa’, and the new owners will see him as either a bonus of the purchase or surplus to requirements, if they have their own agenda.
Certainly increased revenue streams would help loosen into squad investment, more of the huge TV revenue windfall coming into play next year.
An optimistic Villa supporter would see this summer as potentially one to finally lay down the roots for a new dawn. The question is do we have any optimism left in our bones after the sorry mire of recent seasons?
Regardless of what happens off the field, as the old football cliche goes, it’s a result’s business. Results in the new season will be the club’s greatest currency in the what will be a period of great uncertainty. UTV
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Are Villa missing out on transfers or could it be that they are waiting for the 1st of July just as clubs like ManU are ,so as to avoid transfer deals being hijacked before they can be registered with the FA ?
Great news there is a buyer on the horizon( given they are mega rich) awful news that we are having to miss out on the crucial period in the transfer market because due diligence. Bungle (the hapless Lerner) cocks up again. The timing is appalling.
Heaven knows how Lerner runs a major international business…. One his father built up really…
Well meaning I am sure- “Tim nice but dim” comes to mind.
God help us…..
Steve