Now a side on course to qualify for the Champions League, to say that Aston Villa have come a long way since Steven Gerrard had them worrying about relegation troubles would be an understatement. And nothing represents their rise more than their business away from the pitch.
Aston Villa seal "amazing" off-field deal
Whilst it's easy to focus on the likes of Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey arriving in recent years and Unai Emery also arriving in between those two transfers, Villa have also developed as a club off the pitch. Their rise under Emery has been carefully crafted up to the present day when they find themselves inside the Premier League's top four.
Gone are the days when top-flight safety was Villa's greatest concern and safety that didn't always arrive too. Arrived, instead, are arguably the Villans' best days in the Premier League if they manage to make their involvement in the race for the top four less of a unique underdog moment and more of a consistent norm in English football.
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To do that, keeping up with the Premier League's big six on a financial basis will be important, which their latest shirt sponsorship highlights they're capable of doing. According to Football Insider, Aston Villa's latest sponsorship agreement with Betano is worth £40m, and Sky Sports' Kieran Maguire has claimed that deal beats Everton's previous record of the biggest deal outside the Premier League's classic top six. Maguire told Football Insider:
“It’s an amazing deal by non-Big Six standards. It has certainly set a new benchmark because the previous biggest was Everton’s deal with Stake. We’ve not seen many deals of this type be worth more than sort of £10-£12million a year. So it is a step forwards.
“I would imagine that the £40million agreement also contains clauses in terms of qualifying for European competition which Villa are in a pretty strong position to do.“
Record sponsorship highlights Aston Villa's progress
Smashing Everton's record out of the park, Villa and NSWE are now doing their best to keep up with the Premier League's top six both on and off the pitch. The financial boost of such a sponsorship could only help Emery's side on the pitch too, with the backing for summer arrivals now arguably more in place than ever.
Add the potential attraction of Champions League football and Villa could be in for an exciting summer. Already, they've been linked with the likes of Nico Williams and Paulo Dybala in what may prove to be two major coups.
Signing Dybala could be particularly impressive. The AS Roma star is an experienced attacking midfielder these days, who can also play as a forward. If Villa managed to land the Argentine international, then he would form an unstoppable partnership with Ollie Watkins.
As things stand, the only way seems up for Villa, who are better placed than ever to establish themselves not only in the Premier League's top six but also on a European level. Led by Emery, those in the Midlands are only in for more days to remember at this rate.
