6. Aston Villa
Transfer spend: £176.6m
Transfer fees received: £93.6m
Net: £86m
Compared with the rest of the Premier League, Aston Villa spent relatively modestly this summer, with boss Paul Lambert known for favouring promising players from the Football League rather than proven stars. Danish centre back Jores Okore (who promptly got injured for the whole season) was their biggest summer outlay at £4m but in previous years, owner Randy Lerner hasn’t been afraid to splash the cash, with the likes of Darren Bent (£18m) and Stewart Downing (£12m) arriving on the American’s watch. Villa have fallen rapidly since the heady days of Martin O’Neill, largely because of selling their star players, and Ashley Young, Downing and James Miler all made them hefty profits.
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