Gregg Evans drops intriguing off-field Aston Villa revenue claim involving NSWE

Journalist Gregg Evans believes the ‘real big things’ for Aston Villa to do next in their progress is to qualify for European football and increase their revenue streams.

The Midlands outfit have made great strides since returning to the Premier League in 2019/20 following a three-year absence, both on and off the pitch.

Villa have spent over £350 million on transfers since winning promotion from the Championship under former manager Dean Smith as their ambitious owners attempt to climb up the football ladder.

The acquisitions of Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne and Leon Bailey highlight the desire to close the gap on the top-flight’s leading clubs.

And the arrival of new manager Steven Gerrard further illustrates the direction the Villa Park outfit’s hierarchy want to move the club in.

However, Financial Fair Play regulations will limit the level of investment that is allowed to be pumped into the playing staff, with Villa posting a whopping £99.2m loss in 2020/21.

Therefore, Gerrard’s charges must maximise their incomings in order to continue spending lavishly and stay within the rules.

One way in which the Midlands side could offset their expenditures is to sell one of their best players each year.

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The departure of former club captain Jack Grealish saw them bring in £100m as he completed a British-record move to Manchester City, and Leicester have had great success with this model in recent years.

But Evans believes Villa should be targeting European football instead, earning a ‘bigger slice’ of the lucrative television deals on the back of their achievements.

He told GiveMeSport: “The real big things for Villa are breaking into the European places,