Let’s be honest, if Aston Villa fans thought Randy Lerner’s ownership, certainly towards the end, went horribly wrong.
Well, the three-year reign of Tony Xia was probably worse.
Many will remember when the so-called Chinese businessman arrived at Villa Park, he was pretty outspoken, especially on social media.
The 47-year-old tended to send cryptic tweets about Aston Villa, but he also made some very bold and ambitious claims.
As crazy as Tony Xia was, including how the club nearly fell into administration when he was in charge, one of his promises at the start might just now come true.
Back in 2016, he stated to The Telegraph that ‘we want to get back in the European field in five years’, well, it took a few years longer, but we got there, even though he had nothing to do with it.
But one other thing he wanted was Champions League glory by 2026, well, if Unai Emery can continue to work his magic then there is every chance that will happen.
As of this moment, Aston Villa are sitting fourth in the Premier League table and are being hunted down by Tottenham after their 4-0 win at Villa Park on Sunday.
It would be even better if that fifth spot opens up for Champions League football because then there will be real hope amongst the fanbase that we will return to the elite.
Aston Villa v Ajax
After a 0-0 draw from the 1st leg, attention will now turn to Thursday’s blockbuster showdown at Villa Park.
We went into this tournament as the favourites and we should still see this tie through.
But win this tournament and that’s another European trophy added to the club’s cabinet, plus Villa’s first trophy in nearly 30 years.
And, hopefully, it will be a sign of things to come because Emery is a genius when it comes to European football.
Now it’s up to the players to repay him on the field of play.
