It was announced earlier this evening that Aston Villa have a new owner, in Dr Tony Xia. But it seems as though we've met his CEO too, if this picture is to be believed:
Dr Tony Xia and Keith Wyness. #AVFC pic.twitter.com/HIXpsrS2Qr
— Heart Of The Holte (@HeartOfTheHolte) May 18, 2016
*EDIT: The article has been edited to reflect that the second man in the picture is not in fact Keith Wyness, as was previously reported.*
The picture, posted on Twitter by 'Heart of the Holte' shows new owner Dr. Xia in Aston Villa's changing room, with a shirt with his name on it hanging up behind him. What is interesting, is that the number 7 shirt has the name Wyness on it, which seems to be an indicator that former Everton and Aberdeen CEO Keith Wyness will be involved with the new board.
Earlier this week, we reported that Wyness was said to have a senior role within the Chinese business group, and this all but confirms it. Now, with Dr. Xia, the Chairman of the Retcon Group in charge of the club, it seems almost certain that Mr. Wyness will be Aston Villa's next CEO. And luckily for him, he can't possibly do as bad a job as his predecessor, Tom Fox.
What is interesting is the names on the back of the shirts in the picture. Xia and Wyness' names feature on the backs of two of the visible shirts. The names Cook and Samuelson seem to appear as well, raising questions as to the identities of these two. Could they offer a clue as to who else joins Dr. Xia and Wyness on the new Aston Villa board?
Stay tuned as we bring you all the latest news regarding the takeover, the new manager, and more!