Aston Villa stun Kieran Maguire as they form ‘alliance’ with Man City
It was a surprise to see Aston Villa vote against anchoring rules and form an “alliance” with Manchester City and Manchester United.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who exclusively told Football Insider that Villa’s vote against the new proposal reflects the long-term goals of owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.
Top flight clubs met on Monday (29 April) to discuss a proposal for new financial regulations to cap spending to a multiple of the lowest earnings in the division.
Only three clubs opposed the proposals – Villa, Manchester United and Manchester City.
The new regulations are now set to be introduced in the 2025-26 season alongside the squad-cost ratio system which will allow clubs to spend 85 percent of their revenue on wages, transfer fees and agent fees.
Maguire admitted that he was “surprised” at Villa’s vote and explained that they may have formed an “alliance” with both Manchester clubs.
Aston Villa have formed ‘alliance’ with Man United and Man City in surprise twist
“Yes, I was surprised by Villa’s vote against the anchoring rules,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“I did the calculations and Villa would be able to spend hundreds of millions if anchoring was the only show in town.
“But we have to remember that anchoring is a set of backstop rules.
“I think their vote reflects the vision of Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris and their bid to grow the commercial side of Aston Villa.
“If you take a look at the other two clubs who objected – Manchester United and Manchester City – they are the two clubs with the greatest commercial income.
“So Villa’s vote did seem a bit of a strange one but alliances and voting groups are being formed in the Premier League.“
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