Spare me the deep dives into the fate of Monchi, the departing director of football operations at Aston Villa.

Many things have contributed to Villa’s desperate start , from a few iffy signings to the lingering hangover from tripping up in the Champions League race on the final day at Old Trafford. Momentum is a powerful force but when it is lost, regaining it is like turning an oil tanker.

But let’s cut to the chase: the reason for Villa’s demise lands fairly and squarely at the door of profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) that have been kept in place to do exactly what they are doing to Unai Emery’s side.

Think about it. Monchi’s recruitment track record was far from perfect – for every Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers there has been a Donyell Malen or Moussa Diaby – but it

See Full Page