Too many seem comfortable with discussing Aston Villa as a lesser club. If it isn't rampant speculation of all of the best players leaving for a considerably lesser fee than what they are worth, it is now even the suggestion of Unai Emery leaving.
These types of examples should only illustrate the lack of respect Villa has in the media as a whole. During the season, even social media posts couldn't be bothered to include Villa's logo in the Champions League race picture throughout the closing weeks.
In general, the way in which the club is discussed acts as if they are not also competing in the Premier League at times. For some, and it is unfortunate, Villa are a joke. There are a lot of narratives and perceptions that will likely never be changed in the minds of those choosing to remain ignorant.
It does matter, though. Perception can often become reality. The hoops that Villa have to jump through in order to achieve the same objective or obtain the same level of success as others are significantly higher, and that is across the board.
Certainly, players are always being rumored to go from one place to another. Managers, too, can become part of the rumor circulations. Any other club that had the type of year Villa had would not then also have their manager being proposed to jump ship to Tottenham Hotspur.
When players are in the news cycle, it is in the hopes of achieving a better opportunity. Instead, each player, whether Youri Tielemans or Morgan Rogers or any of the other Villans, appears to be readily available for everyone else to poach.
What needs to happen in response from Aston Villa
Being seen as a club that is not as serious as their EPL counterparts makes it more difficult for Villa in their attempt to honestly conduct business and negotiate deals. The only way to ultimately combat this is to win at a high level and earn some silverware. Achieving despite these types of hurdles is what the club is up against.
Until that happens, others will continue to resort to low-hanging talking points to discredit what is being done at Villa.