Aston Villa Owner Dr Tony Xia Releases Club Statement Following Play-Off Final Defeat
Following their heartbreaking Championship play-off final defeat at the hands of Fulham, Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia has released a statement regarding the club's current situation on the Villain's club website.
Speaking on his thoughts following the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Fulham, Xia wrote: "I know that all the Villa fans experienced a very frustrating and disappointing Play-Off Final last Saturday.
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"I care as much about this club as anyone. Even though I am back in Beijing, I still can't recover from our game at Wembley. The emotion needs time to heal. However, I know that all our management staff, coaches, players and myself need to get back on our feet and prepare to fight again."
Xia went on to thank everyone involved with Aston Villa's push for promotion throughout the 2017/18 campaign, taking the time to especially laud manager Steve Bruce with praise for his professionalism.
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"Indeed, the loss is a pity," Xia continued, "but we know how much effort and hard work our coaching staff and players put in this season.
"I want to thank Steve from the bottom of my heart, particularly for his remarkable level of professional focus despite losing his parents this year. With that, I would like to say thank you to Steve and his coaching staff once again for leading the team forward wholeheartedly throughout the season."
The Villains owner went on to address the potential of Financial Fair Play sanctions being enforced following their activity in the transfer market since he took charge of the club in June 2016.
"We are all aware that we will face severe FFP challenges next season. I am an Aston Villa fan. But I am also a businessman. Under the current circumstances, I think the club needs to rethink not only the past two years but also the past ten years. Villa needs to be a sustainable football club.
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"This is the ultimate reality that cannot be changed, but I can assure you that everyone behind the scenes is working tirelessly towards achieving our ultimate goal.
"We have been heavily investing for the past two seasons. However, the loss on Saturday means that we need to change a lot of things.
"No one wanted to see the club have to go through this, but I believe that only changes can help the club to progress towards the positive direction and this requires the joint efforts of everyone associated with this great football club.
"No matter what the changes will be, I sincerely hope that everyone can unite and overcome the challenges together. Our goal has not changed and as long as we believe, regardless of how tough the process will be, I am sure we will succeed in the end."
