Aston Villa were not invited to join the European Super League. Which, as they were in the lower half of the Premier League when the botched attempt at a breakaway was revealed in April 2021, is not entirely surprising. And yet their league position was not the determining factor. After all, Manchester United, founder members of a competition that has never started, are 12th in the English top flight now.
Aston Villa are top of the Champions League, though. There is a suggestion it is a Super League by another name, with reasons to believe it is a step in that direction. But there is still a crucial difference, enough of a meritocracy to render unlikely feats possible. Unai Emery has taken Villa into the Champions League.
