Dean Smith: Relegation would not leave Aston Villa facing financial turmoil

Villa host Arsenal on Tuesday knowing they must at least match Watford’s result against Manchester City in order to take their fight to the final day.

Chief executive Christian Purslow has previously described relegation as a “£200million catastrophe”, yet Smith has allayed fears over the immediate financial outlook, claiming the presence of billionaire owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens means the club’s foundations will remain strong.

He said: “The short-term future of the club is not in jeopardy at all. We are very fortunate we have two billionaire owners who we are reliant on and have been fantastic for us.

“Each club is different and if we were to get relegated we are still in a good position in terms of the ownership we have.

“But we also know what is at stake, how ambitious the owners are and that is why we want to stay in the Premier League.

“We're in great hands with the owners we have got. But we all want to keep our Premier League status.

“This time next week, I will be sat here knowing exactly where we are at. We know have to work hard this week.”

Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of Sawiris and Edens’ takeover. The duo have invested more than £250million since rescuing Villa from the brink of administration, their ambition best demonstrated by the club’s £140million spend over the last two transfer windows.

Smith revealed the owners have been in regular contact over recent weeks with messages of encouragement for him and his players.

“They have sent me messages to pass on to the players in terms of keep up the good work, keep working hard, there is hope," he said.

“We are passing those on. They are fully behind the players and myself to maintain our Premier League status. We want to do it for them as much as anyone.”

While the sole focus for now is on survival, Smith also hinted at the bright future on the horizon should Villa escape the drop.

Manchester City’s victory in their court battle with UEFA has placed a question mark over the future of Financial Fair Play rules and Villa would be among the club’s to benefit if legislation is relaxed.

"It's a question for the executives rather than myself,” said Smith. “But the fact we have got billionaire owners and the pandemic has hit a lot of people certainly helps us.

“If we remain in the league then we have certainly got the power to compete with some of the other big clubs.”