The Athletic's Aston Villa correspondent Gregg Evans has warned that NSWE's investment will likely 'slow down' at some point. 

The lowdown

Villa were the fourth-highest spenders in the Premier League in last summer's transfer window ahead of the 2021/22 season, forking out £95m. Only Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City - all of whom are in the top five in the current table - had a greater outlay, and the Villans then committed a further £27m to the signing of Lucas Digne from Everton in January.

Even when accounting for the record-breaking £100m sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City, Villa have one of the highest net spends in the Premier League since they were promoted in 2019.

However, nearly three years on, that substantial outlay is yet to deliver a top-ten finish, with Villa currently 12th in Steven Gerrard's first season at the helm.

The latest

Writing on The Athletic's matchday discussion board over the weekend, Evans said that Villa soon need to start reaping the benefits of the owners' nine-figure investment.

The journalist wrote: "They need to get motoring at some point because the investment from NSWE has been incredible and you'd expect it to slow down eventually."

The verdict

These comments could be somewhat concerning for Villa fans.

Perhaps NSWE simply can't afford to keep up the current rate of spending long-term, or maybe it comes down to whether the team can secure a healthy return on the owners' investment by earning the revenue which comes from European qualification, for instance.

Either way, it seems clear that the pressure is on Gerrard and his players to make the most of the resources with which they are blessed.

Let's not forget that Villa sacked Dean Smith only 10 games into this season, and with great backing, there comes greater expectation. NSWE's patience could run out before their investment does.

In other news, could signing these soon-to-be free agents be an ideal alternative for Villa?