Matt Maher: The truth about Aston Villa's revenues - and when financial fair play can seem most 'unfair'

The annual ranking of the world’s richest and best revenue-generating clubs revealed Villa to have jumped up four places, from 18th to 14th, after their income soared by more than £100million in the 2024-25 season.

Commercial revenue almost doubled, with Villa’s total income clocking in around the £380m mark, not far off the £400m figure the club’s former president of business operations Chris Heck once claimed was the target by 2027.

In short, the bare numbers suggested a club growing rapidly and well ahead of schedule.

Yet you don’t have to dig too much deeper to understand why, for all the undoubtedly good progress, the subject of revenue and its relation to financial fair play remains such a critical subject inside Villa Park.

While the positive numbers might seem to jar somewhat with boss Unai Emery’s increasingly regular complaints about the power of their rivals, the explanation is relatively straightforward.

For one thing, despite their growth, Villa still lag some way behind the Premier League’s so-called “Big Six” when it comes to generating cash.

Chelsea, who recorded the lowest total revenue of the six, remain more than £100m ahead of Villa. Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are still more than £300m in front. City’s commercial income was more than five times that of Villa. One giant leap hasn’t even got them halfway across the chasm.