All the talk regarding Aston Villa centred around PSR concerns early this summer before the sale of Douglas Luiz to Juventus was confirmed on June 30th.
That date was significant as June 30th was the deadline for Premier League clubs to submit their accounts to the Premier League for the last three-year PSR window.
Aston Villa and every other Premier League club are allowed to post losses of up to £105 million in each three-year PSR window, with Everton and Nottingham Forest both receiving points deductions last season for exceeding this figure.
- READ MORE: What senior sources at Aston Villa actually thought of their transfer window as PSR worry emerges
In order to avoid suffering the same fate, Unai Emery was left with little choice but to sanction the sale of Douglas Luiz, with the Brazilian joining Juventus for £42 million.
Aston Villa believe Juventus signed Douglas Luiz on the cheap
The decision was made to sell Luiz as he was considered the most replaceable of Villa’s valuable assets.
The club signed Enzo Barrenechea from Juve as one player to help replace the midfielder but has since left on loan, whilst Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley both also arrived to bolster Emery’s ranks.
After a hectic summer, Villa’s president and director of football operations Monchi and Damian Vidagany spoke to a select group of journalists on Tuesday to discuss the club’s business.
PSR in particular was on the agenda, with The Athletic reporting that one journalist asked if the owners would have invested big this summer if PSR did not exist.
Vidagany responded: “If there was no PSR, the window would have been absolutely different. I don’t think there would be a big difference in the players we would bring in. Perhaps we’d bring in one more because we could do it.”
The Villa chief did add that he feels the club could have got more than £42 million for Luiz without the restraints, saying: “However, we could sell better, without the pressure of PSR. We could have sold Douglas Luiz for more and with no rush.”
Amadou Onana form making Luiz a distant memory at Aston Villa
Many fans were understandably concerned when Luiz was sold given he was so key to helping Villa qualify for the Champions League.
Once the club knew they had successfully navigated PSR they could focus on incomings and the £50 million arrival of Onana in particular has quickly helped supporters forget all about Luiz.
Onana has been imperious in Emery’s midfield alongside international team-mate Youri Tielemans, with two goals to show for his all-action displays.
Two wins from three games represents a decent start to the season for Emery, particularly as the only defeat so far has come against likely title contenders Arsenal.
It was disappointing for Villa to lose Luiz, but they look to have adequately replaced the 26-year-old.
