Championship strugglers Aston Villa announed the arrival of former Brentford boss Dean Smith as their new manager, with John Terry as his number two.
The days when Tony Xia used to tweet incessantly about the trials and tribulations of Aston Villa seem a long time ago now.
After all, a lot has changed since Xia took over at Villa Park in 2016, brazenly claiming that he wanted to turn the recently relegated Midland club into one of the top three sides in world football, as reported by the Guardian.
It all went wrong for Xia at Villa with the problems reaching a head this summer after the play-off final defeat to Fulham, which exposed the club’s horrible financial situation.
After weeks of fear and the threat of administration, Naseef Sawiris and Wes Edens saved Villa from the brink by purchasing a controlling 55 per cent stake.
But that does not mean Dr Xia has forgotten all about the club. Taking to Twitter like old times, the Chinese businessman has lauded the decision to bring former captain John Terry back to Villa Park as the number two to new manager Dean Smith.
Villa suddenly announced the appointment of former Brentford boss Smith on Wednesday night with Terry as his second in command.
And Sawiris and Edens will be hoping that the lifelong Villa fan can do what Steve Bruce could not during Xia’s reign and bring Premier League football back to the Second City.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
