Aston Villa

Aston Villa owner: 'New boss will have £50m to spend in Championship'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 19 May 2016

Dr Tony Xia claims that he will spend big in an attempt to help Aston Villa earn promotion, while also admitting Roberto di Matteo is in contention to take over.

New Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia has revealed that the club's incoming boss will have up to £50m to spend on players this summer.

The Villans, who are on the lookout for a manager after dropping into the Championship, confirmed the sale of the club to the Chinese businessman on Wednesday afternoon.

Xia expects a manager to be appointed in the next fortnight, and also confirmed that Roberto Di Matteo is among those in contention to take over at Villa Park.

Whoever is in charge next term, the West Midlands outfit's latest backer will provide the funds required to earn an instant return back to the Premier League.

"We will have a budget from £20m to £30m to £40m to £50m," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "It depends when we have the coach around the table.

"Roberto was one of the choices. He has been very good in the Championship and he did very well in the Premier League. We have other good choices. I think we will get the right one in two weeks. I think there is a lot of potential for Villa to be promoted very soon.

"They have a very good academy and facilities and a very good fanbase, which can attract a lot of people. If we can get the right team to work with we can get on the right track and I hope we can achieve it one year."

Xia will become chairman of Villa once the sale of the club is ratified.