Aston Villa and Wolves just cannot seem to stay away from each other, whether on purpose or accidentally.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa are both locked in a promotion race in the Championship, as both Midlands clubs attempt to orchestrate a return to the Premier League. While they may be different in some ways, they continue to mirror each other’s movements both on and off the pitch.
The two clubs have never been particularly friendly but, for the most part, their rivalry was not quite as intense in comparison to their respective games against Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion. With that being said, both sides have fan bases that tend to be described as fickle more often than not, and that rings true. The expectations are always extremely high when it comes to success, mainly because of the idea that both are historic clubs within the landscape of English football.
The main comparison, however, falls at the feet of their respective ownership. Villa and Wolves are owned by Chinese companies, and both have extremely lofty ambitions for the foreseeable future. They have spent big in the transfer market, have stormed into the top six, and now even their stadium plans are similar.
Wolves’ planned redevelopment of Molineux has been well documented, but it also seems as if Tony Xia wants to do a similar thing with Villa Park. At this stage, it is starting to feel like the two are indirectly competing against one another, which makes sense, given that they have been battling back and forth throughout most of the season.
In both cases, it feels like the stadium increases are being done out of necessity more so than anything else. The profile of both clubs has already been well documented, but an improved stadium capacity not only prepares them for potential European ventures in the future but also accommodates the growing attendance numbers the two clubs are experiencing.
You could also argue that Villa and Wolves have got similar managers, too. Steve Bruce and Nuno Espirito Santo never seem to make a big song and dance and they seem to possess the composure that a lot of bosses around the country do not.
Given their current trajectories, it will be interesting to see whether or not Wolves and Villa can keep up with each other over the next few years.
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