Are Aston Villa set to be taken over, again?

Over the past day, or so, ‘news’ surrounding a potential takeover of Aston Villa has leapt into the picture.

An initial exclusive via The Sun states that a group of, wait for it, British businessmen are set to launch a bid for Villa. With their coverage of Raheem Sterling taking a beating after public backlash, it’s about time that they report on something different.

The report names Matt Southall as the man fronting the bid. Funnily enough, he was linked with a takeover of Bolton Wanderers just last year. Southall made his money from fitness and ecommerce.

This all comes after former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan aired his concerns about Aston Villa on Talksport - with the outspoken businessman actually holding his tongue in regards to Villa’s ownership, saying that he must be careful with what he says next, and that there are certain things that he knows that he can and can’t say. Make of that what you will. Add that to Dr Tony Xia’s sombre statement a few days ago and you’ve got the perfect mixing pot for a takeover rumour.

As far as takeover rumours go - it’s come out of nowhere, yet is pretty usual takeover rumour fodder. If it’s not the Saudi’s, it’s ‘the Chinese’ or a Qatari group. Failing that, it’s a local lad. Failing that, it’s a group of British businessmen.

Our verdict? It’s meh. Simple. Make of this what you will, consider the source, consider the context and it’s easy to dismiss it. However, keeping an open mind - while staying critical - never hurt a soul.