Aston Villa Appoint Former Liverpool Chief Executive Christian Purslow as New CEO

Aston Villa have appointed former Liverpool chief executive Christian Purslow as their new CEO and "minority investor".

Purslow has been appointed to the role by Villa's new owners, Egyptian businessman Nassef Sawiris and American financier Wes Edens, who took a majority stake at the club in July.

"We are tremendously excited to bring someone of Christian’s calibre and experience into the Club," said Sawiris and Edens in a statement on Villa's official website. "This is an important step on our journey to return Aston Villa back to the elite of English football."

Before the summer takeover, Villa were in serious financial trouble under the ownership of Dr Tony Xia, who retains a minority stake at the club. They were even forced to mortgage a piece of land owned by the club in anticipation of not being able to meet financial requirements.

Purslow is no stranger to financial uncertainty, having taken over at Liverpool during the tumultuous reign of former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who brought the club close to financial ruin.

He was tasked with finding a buyer for the club and in October 2010 he succeeded in that goal as a consortium led by John Henry and Tom Werner took control at Anfield.

Purslow also held the role of Head of Global Commercial Activities at Chelsea between 2014 and 2017, where he was credited with improving the club's commercial reputation.

Villa have confirmed that Purslow "will take over the day-to-day running of the club with immediate effect."