Nassef Sawiris would love Aston Villa to keep the tills ringing like Manchester United yet Sir Jim Ratcliffe would probably sacrifice several million in revenue to match their rivals’ purpose on the pitch.
One result at Villa Park was never going to be enough to change the perception of these two clubs.
At Villa, the football structure is clear – Unai Emery runs the show and everything follows from there. Co-owner Sawiris, the Egyptian billionaire, knows Villa must increase their financial muscle to compete regularly with the elite in England and Europe.