Villa meeting suggests that sale is not a done deal

Doug Ellis did a lot of equivocating in his BBC5 interview last night, going from saying that he'd received information that the sale of Aston Villa was "a done deal" to saying that he didn't know. News that Villa CEO Paul Faulkner and manager Paul Lambert will be traveling to meet with owner Randy Lerner later this week make it seem as if rumours of a completed sale were a bit overzealous. 

The meeting seems as if it wouldn't really be necessary if the club were indeed already sold. At that point Lerner would be able to simply wash his hands of the club, thank his two subordinates, and be on his way. Certainly a meeting with Faulkner would make sense to help finish financial matters, but unless some strategic summer planning is happening there seems to be no reason to include Lambert. 

Perhaps there is some hope that, seeing no sale in sight, Lerner may free up funds to make some transfers or renew contracts with players like Marc Albrighton. Unless the club is sold or some funds are freed, the club is seriously hobbled by an embargo on outgoing money in what could be the most important summer in recent memory. 

Let's hope that something is about to give. Perhaps I'm wrong, and Lerner is flying Lambert out simply to thank him. But that just doesn't make much sense. I've never hoped that I'm wrong more.