Phil McNulty, BBC Sport chief football writer
Aston Villa’s announcement of expansion plans to extend the capacity of Villa Park to more than 50,000 is another indicator of the ambition fuelling the club’s revival under manager Unai Emery.
Under the ownership of executive chairman Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, Villa have been restored to the elite levels, reaching the Champions League quarter-finals, where they were narrowly beaten 5-4 on aggregate by Paris St Germain.
Manager Emery, working alongside his long-time cohort Monchi, Villa’s president of football operations, has seen his worked backed in the transfer market – as proved in January with the loan signings of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United, midfielder Marco Asensio from PSG and Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen on a permanent deal – by owners intent on maintaining Villa’s momentum.
This has now extended to upgrading Villa Park from its current capacity past the 50,000 mark to capitalise on the renaissance masterminded by Emery.
Villa were ahead of schedule when they broke through the Premier League’s glass ceiling last season to reach the Champions League.
They are still in the hunt to reach the Champions League again next season and have an FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday.
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