Dr. Tony Xia’s plan for global football domination takes us to the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Aston Villa Football Club, per unconfirmed reports, are intrigued in Danish Superliga side Lyngby Boldklub.
Could Aston Villa be the next world football super power? Everything is rumor at the moment, but it appears Dr. Tony Xia and management are looking toward Denmark for foreign investment.
Per Danish media, Aston Villa made contact with Danish side Lyngby Boldklub about an investment opportunity.
Afsløring: Aston Villa er interesseret i Lyngby.https://t.co/1TPu2aLdfS
— Morten Crone Sejersbøl (@Morten_Crone) February 5, 2018
Who are Lyngby BK? Well, last season was their first in the Danish top flight since the 2011/2012 – and they did well, finishing third in the table! This season, however, sings a far darker tune. Currently, they sit 12th out of 14 clubs, battling to survive the drop zone. But the problems run even deeper than that. Lyngby are mired in financial problems. The club’s chairman, Torben Jensen, spoke to such.
The Villa Group?
What does this all mean? Short answer: we do not know.
Aston Villa have not commented publicly to the reports, but what we can deduce is that foreign investment is part of Xia’s grand strategy as Villa owner. He wants global appeal and reaching out to other parts of Europe and Asia fit that strategy that seamlessly. Aston Villa have a long, checkered history of strong Scandinavian players: John Carew, Olof Mellberg, Martin Laursen, Thomas Sørensen and others.
This could be similar to City Football Group with Manchester City as the flagship club. Alongside Manchester City, they own New York City FC of Major League Soccer, Melbourne City of Australia’s A-League, Club Atlético Torque in Uruguay, Girona FC of La Liga, a minority share of Japan’s Yokohama, as well as football academies in China, Singapore and Japan.
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It’s not uncommon to see English teams partner with clubs outside of Europe. Brentford have often partnered with fellow Danish side FC Midtjylland in the past. Chelsea seemingly send 3-4 players on loan to Vitesse Arnhem each season too. I, for one, welcome, a potential partnership/investment. Sending a few Villa Academy graduates each season to Denmark is a tremendous growth opportunity both on and off the field for developing 18-22 year old players. A full season of top flight matches for say, Callum O’Hare and Easah Suliman, is far better than jumping between senior and U23 training and a handful of cup appearances.
Better yet, it’s even more productive than being sent to League Two or below in England.