Noel Whelan has claimed a £100million expansion of their Villa Park stadium could allow Aston Villa to continue their big-money transfer spending.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested the redevelopment will be a “massive boost” for the club’s surrounding area.
As per Birmingham Live (19 October), Aston Villa could add “5,000” to the capacity of their Holte End by implementing safe standing “appropriately” – meaning the famous stand would hold 18,000.
The Midlands giants have already confirmed plans to become the latest club to introduce safe standing as part of a number of upgrades to their iconic ground, which currently holds 42,785.
Over the summer, Aston Villa revealed plans to revamp the North and Trinity Stands – with an eventual ambition of increasing their capacity to 60,000.
The first phase of the £100million development is scheduled to start in late 2023 with construction set for completion in 2025.
Whelan insisted boosting matchday income will allow Villa to continue making signings – after spending a reported £64million in the summer window.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “It just shows the demand for clubs like Aston Villa.
“It’s the same with Elland Road. Leeds United don’t have the tickets to satisfy the sheer demand for tickets.
“But investing money into the stadium is just bringing money back into the club, as well as allowing supporters to go and watch their team.
“They’ve spent a lot of money on transfers since coming back to the Premier League and boosting their income across all areas will help them continue to do that.
“It’s a community sport and revamping the surrounding areas will be a massive boost for those areas and people.”
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By: Noel Whelan
Title: Whelan hails ‘massive’ Aston Villa transfer boost as £100m development confirmed
Sourced From: www.footballinsider247.com/whelan-hails-massive-aston-villa-transfer-boost-as-100m-development-confirmed/
Published Date: Fri, 04 Nov 2022 08:02:13 +0000
