Aston Villa Finances 2022/23

Another Lost Look

Aston Villa’s 2022/23 accounts covered a season when the club “made significant progress against the stated focus of consolidation and improvement”, which was evidenced by a 7th placed finish in the Premier League, up from 14th in the previous campaign.

This represented the club’s best performance since 2009/10 and ensured that European football returned to Villa Park for the first time in over a decade, as they qualified for the UEFA Conference League.

All this was achieved under the guidance of head coach Unai Emery after the experienced Spaniard replaced Steven Gerrard in October 2022.

Villa have continued to invest both on and off the pitch under owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, who bought the club in July 2018, which is reflected in the club’s financial results.

Profit/(Loss) 2022/23

Aston Villa swung from a small pre-tax profit of £0.4m to a massive £120m loss, despite revenue rising £40m (22%) from £178m to a new club record £218m, as profit from player sales fell £75m from £97m to £22m. In addition, operating expenses shot up £82m (30%) to £357m, while interest payable quadrupled from £0.8m to £3.3m.

All three of the main revenue streams were higher, led by broadcasting, which rose £30m (24%) from £123m to £153m. Commercial increased by £11m (36%) from £30m to £41m, while gate receipts were up £3m (17%) from £16m to £19m.

In contrast, player loans fell £3m from £9m to £6m, though this was still quite high, as many players were out on loan last season. There was no repeat of prior season’s £0.3m other operating income.

Villa’s significant investment into the squad meant steep increases in staff costs: the wage bill surged £57m (42%) from £137m to £194m, while player amortisation rose £10m (12%) from £83m to £93m. In addition, other expenses climbed £24m (59%) from £42m to £66m.

On the other hand, the previous year included a £10m exceptional payment to former owner Randy Lerner for retention of Premier League status for three consecutive seasons.

Unsurprisingly, Villa’s £120m pre-tax loss is the worst financial result so far this season in the Premier League, though some other clubs have also posted large losses in 2022/23, such as Southampton £87m, Newcastle United £73m, Wolves £67m and Arsenal £52m.

In contrast, a couple of clubs did manage to generate a profit last season, namely Manchester City £80m and Brentford £9m.

In fact, Villa’s loss last season was the worst in Europe, according to UEFA’s Club Finance and Investment Landscape report. This was even ahead of clubs that are well known for losing large amounts of money, such as Juventus, PSG, Roma and Inter. However, Barcelona would have reported a worse result than Villa without the benefit of their famous economic levers.