Sean Walsh

Senior Marketing Manager | Games and entertainment |

[Aston Villa @AstonVilla]

The famous Unai Emery selfie, brought to you Indonesia 🤩📸

[Aston Villa @AstonVilla]

😍🫶

[Aston Villa @AstonVilla]

Welcome, Johan 😌

[Aston Villa Updates @avfcbreaking]

Part One
The Europa League’s Financial Paradox: Why Europe’s Second Competition Is No Longer Fit for Purpose

The Europa League was designed to reward clubs just outside Europe’s elite. Under football’s new financial controls, it is increasingly doing the opposite.

For ambitious Premier League clubs such as Aston Villa, Europa League qualification now brings a contradiction at the heart of UEFA’s regulatory system: stricter cost controls with only marginal additional income. The imbalance is becoming difficult to justify — and harder still to ignore.

Two systems, one growing tension

Modern football now operates under overlapping financial frameworks. Domestically, the Premier League is moving toward a Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) of 85 per cent, limiting spending on wages, transfer amortisation and agent fees relative to revenue. In European competition, UEFA’s Financial Sustainability Regulations apply a lower benchmark of around 70 per cent.

For Champions League clubs, the difference is largely absorbed by scale. For Europa League clubs, it is not.

Aston Villa’s revenues are driven overwhelmingly by Premier League broadcasting income, commercial growth and matchday receipts. Europa League participation adds fixtures, travel and squad demands — but financially, it adds little.

The gap in rewards

The disparity between UEFA’s two competitions is stark.

Champions League participation brings:

Significant guaranteed entry payments

Performance bonuses that can push group-stage income well beyond €30 million

Market pool distributions of real scale

Knockout-stage rewards capable of lifting total income toward €60–80 million

Europa League participation typically delivers:

Around €3–4 million for group-stage qualification

Modest performance bonuses

A much smaller broadcast and market pool allocation

For a Premier League club generating more than £250 million annually, Europa League income often represents less than five per cent of turnover. It does not materially improve the revenue base — yet it activates UEFA’s stricter cost controls across the entire squad.

Ambition without insulation

Aston Villa’s recent trajectory reflects the model UEFA claims to encourage: sustained investment, improved recruitment and competitive progression. Their wage bill and amortisation reflect a club building toward Champions League contention rather than settling for consolidation.

Under Premier League rules alone, that ambition is manageable. Under Europa League oversight, it becomes constrained.

Villa are not spending because of the Europa League. They are spending to compete domestically at the level required to reach the Champions League. Europa League qualification simply places that existing cost base under tighter regulation — without providing the income to justify it.

The paradox is clear: Europa League participation increases regulatory pressure far more than financial capacity.
#AVFC

[Aston Villa @AstonVilla]

Welcome to Aston Villa, Alysson 🇧🇷

[XBOX UK @xboxuk]

Pssst, #XboxOn heard you like video games 🎮

Mon ➡️ Silent Hill 2 – New Xbox Release
Tues ➡️ Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault – New Release
Thurs ➡️ Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord  - War Sails DLC
Fri ➡️ Arc Raiders

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

The seas are stirring… ⚔️ Join us tomorrow at 16:00 CET / 11:00 AM EDT / 8:00 AM PDT for the first look at War Sails naval gameplay.

🎥 Set your reminder now: https://t.co/GOi9ku4MCu

#mountandblade #bannerlord #warsails

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

Axes up, volume higher. War Sails x @amonamarthband ⚔️🎵

Witness the raw power of this fearless, viking-inspired faction in the War Sails trailer, an epic upcoming expansion for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. Behold the might of the Nords' fighting prowess unleashed on both land and sea, and glimpse the majesty of their Northern kingdom. Traverse new land battle terrains and navigate treacherous river scenes, all set to the ferociously fitting "Put Your Back Into The Oar" by legendary death-metal band Amon Amarth. The battle awaits!

The War Sails expansion is scheduled to arrive to Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord in the Fall of 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

🔗Add War Sails to your Steam wishlist:
https://t.co/X2TE0nuica

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

ℹ️ With War Sails, Calradia’s world map extends further to the north. The Nordvyg proper (marked by rugged coasts, thick forests, and icy winters) sets the stage for the new Nord faction.

To the west and across the sea, we find a recently colonized Island of Beinland - the land of bones. And finally, the Jumne river area is located to the east of Nordvyg, where mysterious burial pits left by some long-forgotten people lie scattered along the riverbanks.

The river runs south, eventually reaching Khuzait lands, allowing Nords to raid or trade with nearby factions. Few regions hold such strategic weight or such potential for war.

#mountandblade #bannerlord #warsails

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

An important update from the team regarding War Sails

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨🟣🔵 Aston Villa are advancing in talks to sign 18 year old Norwegian wonderkid Sverre Nypan.

Negotiations underway on both club and player side as @Ole_Saga reported, as Villa presented their project weeks ago.

Talks ongoing to win the race over Man City/Girona and Arsenal.

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

Hot Takes & First Impressions!🤩 War Sails through the eyes of our friends on YouTube & Twitch! 🔥

Watch now and let us know what YOU think in the comments! ⚔️⛵

#mountandblade #bannerlord #warsails

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

https://t.co/DDwvVaduYK

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

⚔️ Conquer the Waves, Claim Your Destiny! ⚓
War Sails, the epic naval expansion for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, is coming to @Xbox Series X|S on June 17, 2025!

Command powerful ships, engage in thrilling sea battles, and forge your legacy on the high seas. 🔥 Are you ready to rule the waves? 🌊

🔗https://t.co/jnxy91YTIv

#mountandblade #warSails #bannerlord #xbox #navalwarfare

[Splattercat @SplattrCatGames]

lets gooooooooooo BATTANIA WILL RISE

[FutureGamesShow @FutureGamesShow]

Shout out to all our amazing publisher and developer partners taking part in the Future Games Show Spring Showcase tomorrow!

Join us on Thursday, March 20 at 1pm PDT | 4pm EDT | 8pm GMT

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

Breaking the seal on Thursday…

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

Strange things wash ashore these days...

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

The tide is shifting...

[Mount & Blade @Mount_and_Blade]

The 2nd anniversary of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord's full release is almost upon us! To celebrate, we're hosting a special prize giveaway to thank you for your incredible support. 🎂

🏆 How to Enter?
Follow us, and share your favourite Bannerlord memory in the comments below - whether that is a heroic battle, a massive multiplayer siege, a story of how you caught yourself playing the game until 4 AM, a hilarious meme, art, or screenshots you made.

🎁 The following prizes are up for grabs across multiple platforms:
- 15x Printed Map of Calradia Art
- 25x Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - PC or Console Key

🎧 We're also partnering with our friends at @TurtleBeach and @TurtleBeachPC to give away some amazing gaming accessories:
- 3x Atlas Air Headset
- 3x Kone II Mouse
- 3x Vulcan II Keyboard

The submission period lasts until Thursday, October 24th, 11:59 PM UTC. Winners will be randomly selected and notified through DMs on October 25th, so make sure your messages are open!

⚔️ May the best warrior win! ⚔️

For Terms and Conditions, visit 👉 https://t.co/RJW8y3dC6o

#Bannerlord2ndAnniversary #bannerlord #mountandblade