The popular Aston Villa owner may have been pulling the strings at Southampton if all had gone to plan.
If you’re on the lookout for the model football club, your search should begin at St Marys. At least, that’s what Tony Xia did, Bloomberg report.
Since being docked ten points for entering administration in 2009/10, Southampton have never looked back, rising from League One to the Premier League and coping admirably with the departure of countless star players, not to mention highly-rated coaches, thanks to a recruitment system that remains the envy of so many rival clubs.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, are exactly the opposite. While The Saints continue to rise, Villa fall at an equally rapid pace. Ten years on from challenging for a Champions League place, they are now mired in the second tier with an ever-changing squad and a revolving door manager policy proving more of a hindrance than a help.
Their prospects are looking up since sound-biting Chinese businessman Xia replaced the seemingly disinterested Randy Lerner at the helm in the summer but, despite spending around £70 million on a squad capable of spearheading an immediate return to the Premier League, Villa find themselves closer to the League One trap door.
Yet, according to Bloomberg, Xia admits that he had expressed his interest in taking over at Southampton just days before completing his £60 million takeover of Aston Villa.
Despite his clear ambition and palpable love for the historic club, Villa fans may be a little concerned to learn that their club appear to have been Xia’s second choice – at best.
“It wasn’t just Southampton, we also held discussions with a lot of clubs,” Xia said in quotes reported by Bloomberg. “Even if we didn’t buy Villa, we would have entered the sports industry through other means.”
“Now that we have control of Villa, we will leverage this opportunity and use it to further our business in the sports industry.”
Villa may be 16th in the Championship with Xia but it seems certain that they’d be in even deeper danger without him.
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