Until the perception is changed, Aston Villa will continue to be viewed as a club that others can poach from. Notice how this does not happen with others. Even teams that have performed worse than Villa maintain a certain level of respect.
This is not the case at all with Villa. Routinely, players from the club are seen as unquestionably available for everyone else to be able to purchase at a favorable rate.
This mentality needs to shift among the fan base as well. It is acceptable for Villa to be more ambitious. After all, this is a club that is looking to crumble the current assumed system of the 'big six.'
Despite the PSR and SCR concerns, this is a side that can be even more ambitious and have bigger aspirations than what has been believed to have been previously possible in recent memory. It may seem like a stretch, but this mindset is realistic when considering what the rest of the Premier League is doing and what the stated goals of Villa are.
While Villa looks to get better, so does everyone else. It is not like the league as a whole will stay stagnant. Certainly, there are certain teams that will take a step back within a campaign. Those are usually balanced out with those who overachieve compared to the expectations headed into a season.
Continuing the ambition at Aston Villa
Moving forward, it is absolutely ok for Villa to continue to have large aspirations, both on and off the pitch. While the club has to balance some of the financial responsibilities, this does not mean that there cannot also be some more bold moves that also happen along the way.
What that looks like exactly will, of course, remain in the hands of Monchi and Unai Emery. Villa supporters should remain optimistic of what is to come, even if the current transfer window does not appear to be what is immediately wished for by the fan base at large.