Aston Villa fans will be well aware of the restrictions imposed upon their club in the transfer window this season, with chairman Tony Xia explaining that the club’s hands were extremely tied by the restrictions of Financial Fair Play.

The club spent big following their demotion from the Premier League, landing the likes of Ross McCormack, Jonathan Kodjia and Scott Hogan in big money deals as manager Steve Bruce attempted to assemble a squad capable of an instant return to the top flight.

With a huge wage bill and the Premier League millions a distant memory, the club continued to haemorrhage money, with football finance expert Kieran Maguire revealing on Twitter that the club were last year operating on losses of £800,000 per week before taking into account the profits of player sales.

A remarkable, unsustainable figure, fans are sure to be left worried by the troubling news that the club is leaking funds at an exorbitant rate.

The Verdict

Aston Villa are in desperate need of promotion to the Premier League this season.

Chairman Xia gave the green light to spend big and return this once top flight stalwart to the big time once more, but the risk of failure hangs ever present over the Chinese businessman’s head.

£800,000 a week is a phenomenal sum of money for a second tier side, but a cost that could certainly be offset by promotion this season.

Villa lie in second place with a game in hand over promotion rivals Derby County, and the power lies firmly in the hands of the West Midlands outfit.

Promotion appears to be key if the club are not to run into financial difficulty in the near future.

Villa fans, let us know your thoughts.