Buckle up for some depressing financial reading.

"Villa’s tussle with financial sanctions is on several fronts.

On the European one, Villa entered into a settlement agreement with UEFA last year, on the back of breaching FER in the three-year period ending June 2024. The agreement places limits on future losses and Villa’s ability to register players for UEFA competition.

The latter point meant any new players Villa brought into their “List A” squad for this season’s Europa League needed to represent cost savings compared with those they replaced. That restriction was a conditional one for next season; if Villa’s football earnings result was positive in 2024-25, it would be lifted. As we now know, they lost €82m for UEFA purposes, so it appears the “List A” restriction will continue into 2026-27."

"However, Villa’s settlement agreement means they are instead limited to a €5m football-earnings loss in the current season — a target that on its own looks difficult, given the club has no Champions League revenues to rely on while still bearing high operating costs."

" Regardless, Villa are preparing for interest in their biggest asset, Morgan Rogers, who has several Premier League admirers, including Chelsea, as well as suitors in Europe. His sale is the most obvious and straightforward way of alleviating some of the financial pressures, despite posting a post-tax profit in the end of year accounts. "

So this almost certainly means we will only be able to sign players that are cheaper than the ones we're selling next season.

Full article is free: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7127881/2026/04/01/aston-villa-accounts-profit-loss-uefa/?unlocked\_article\_code=1.XlA.LpS1.zwjXcZJ\_2epZ&source=athletic\_user\_shared\_gift\_article\_copylink&smid=url-share-ta