Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have plans for Aston Villa to return to the top table of European football and you wouldn’t bet against the club qualifying for Champions League football in the next couple of years considering its progression under Unai Emery.
The Spaniard has performed a remarkable job at Villa since taking over from Steven Gerrard and his side currently sit in fifth place during the November international break. The top five teams in the Premier League are all likely to qualify for Champions League football this season and considering that only Man City have won more points than Villa this calendar year, Emery’s side have proven they have the consistency to make a serious push this term.
If Villa were to sustain their level of performance - despite having European football to contend with this campaign as well - and secure Champions League qualification, they would be well ahead of schedule, with NSWE only taking control of the club just over five years ago. Ambitious billionaires Sawiris and Edens want Villa to become a regular participant in European football and will not stop now that the club has finally returned to a UEFA competition this campaign.
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The news that Everton have received a 10-point deduction after being found guilty of breaking FFP rules could be spell good news for Villa in the coming years given the charges which were levelled at Man City earlier this year.
City were charged with breaking financial fair play rules around 100 times over a nine-year period, which starts in 2009 and goes on until 2018. During that time, they won the Premier League three times and have qualified for the Champions League in every season since 2010-11.
If City are found guilty of breaking the rules - which they deny doing - according to Premier League rules, it can be a points deduction or even the threat of expulsion from the Premier League.
Premier League clubs would like to see City to be relegated if they are found guilty of breaking rules over nine seasons. Even a heavy points penalty could give other clubs, including Villa, a greater opportunity to break into the top five in the coming years. The City investigation has already been going on for four years and a decision or outcome is not expected any time soon.
Another club with aspirations to routinely compete for Champions League football is Chelsea, but they also face the prospect of being docked points.
Reports earlier in the week raised questions about their success under previous owner Roman Abramovich. Following a joint investigation by the Guardian and a group of international outlets including the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) and Germany’s Paper Trail Media, files have been uncovered relating to a series of payments spread out over a decade worth tens of millions of pounds.
Said payments are reportedly "routed through offshore vehicles", which belong to Abramovich. Such transactions are said to be for Chelsea's benefit and there have been questions asked whether the relevant governing bodies were made aware of the accounts. Chelsea face an anxious wait to see what punishment they might receive after Everton's fate has been decided, albeit in differing circumstances.
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