Douglas Luiz's move from Aston Villa to Juventus prevented the club from breaking the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.
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Luiz left Villa after five years in MidlandsCost Juventus £42 million this summerDeal saved Villans from potential points deductionGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
Unai Emery's Aston Villa were under pressure to comply with the Premier League's PSR rules at the end of last season, meaning they had to sanction the sale of star midfielder Luiz. Had the £42m ($55m) deal for the Brazilian not happened, they would have been deducted up to 10 points for the 2024-25 campaign, according to The Daily Mail.
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Damian Vidagany, Villa's director of football operations, explained that profit had to be made before the June 30 deadline. He said: "We found ourselves in a situation where we had to make an important profit to avoid being in breach with the PSR. Everybody was cheering and celebrating the Champions League, but Monchi (Villa's sporting director) and I were at the party thinking how we could avoid a points deduction that would have spoiled a wonderful season. There was a bomb with the countdown, and we were there to cut the cable. We arrived at the last second with this problem."
Monchi added: "If we sold Ramsey, it would be solved. And we could have because we had offers. Another solution was to put Ollie Watkins on the market. We could have sold the best keeper in the world, Emi Martinez. We also had offers for him."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Both Vidagany and Monchi admitted they did not want to sell players who were key parts of Emery's plans, but there may not have been an alternative. However, with Villa safely on the right side of the PSR rules now, they have been able to kick on and continue strengthening Emery's squad for their return to the Champions League.
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR VILLA?
Villa's incredible 2023-24 campaign has carried over into the new term so far. They have six points from the first three games, only losing to Arsenal. When the players return from the international break, they will take on Everton in the Midlands.
