Aston Villa chief executive ‘launches £6m unfair dismissal case’
Keith Wyness has left Aston Villa, a week after he was suspended, and the former chief executive is reported to be launching a constructive dismissal claim that could be worth up to £6m.
His departure was inevitable given the public falling out and implied blame game that went on in the wake of a series of revelations that came out of Villa Park last week.
The club faces significant financial challenges, from the short-term problem of the club being forced to agree a repayment plan with HMRC for £4m unpaid tax to the harder-to-solve issue of how to meet financial fair play rules this year without breaking up the playing squad.
It has been a tough few weeks for the football club which has gone from being one game away from the Premier League to a financial crisis.
Promotion, and the vast revenues that the TV deals provide, would have solved the club’s financial fair play problems.
However a 1-0 defeat by Fulham in the Championship play-off final has meant it now has to find significant cost savings. Players John Terry and Gabby Agbonlahor have already departed, while its most valuable player Jack Grealish is widely expected to be sold in the weeks ahead.
Wyness had been a central part of Aston Villa’s management team since Dr Tony Xia’s takeover in summer 2016. He had previously been chief executive at Aberdeen and Everton football clubs. The Telegraph revealed Wyness’s departure and his legal claims.
