Aston Villa are reportedly set to announce an annual profit for the first time in years, helped in part by the sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City.

The Lowdown: Tough period

These past few years have undoubtedly been tough in football, with Covid-19 having a huge impact on revenues across the board following almost an entire season behind closed doors in 2020/21.

It has been a period that has understandably seen profits take a hit up and down the country, as clubs try to navigate a minefield the likes of which we have simply never seen in English football.

Villa were affected like everyone, but a fresh update reveals that they have bounced back impressively under NSWE.

The Latest: Villa in the green

According to Football Insider, the Villans are set to announce an "unprecedented" profit for the financial year 2021/22 - the first time that has been the case under NSWE's ownership.

Grealish's £100million move to City has played a significant role in this, generating a huge amount of money, and it helped alleviate the cost of paying off former manager Dean Smith.

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The Verdict: Things heading in the right direction

This is great news for Villa, at a time when financial stability is so important, and it suggests that things are going in the right direction both on and off the pitch.

In Unai Emery, the club have a proven elite manager in charge - he has won four Europa League titles during his managerial career - and he has a strong squad at his disposal that will hopefully now be strengthened further in the coming transfer windows.

Villa are a huge club who belong in the top half of the Premier League, and this mix of financial power and a top manager means they have a great chance of achieving that goal in the next few years.