Fringe players and financial constraints

[BBC] [Getty Images] In the second part of a special Aston Villa Q&A, our reporter Nick Mashiter focuses on squad depth and the club's financial problems. Adam asked: What do we expect to happen with some of the fringe players such as Evan Guessand, Tammy Abraham, Lamare Bogarde and Leon Bailey. Nick: Villa don't have a lot of wiggle room in their squad and they need to beef it up as it is. Guessand and Bailey are certainly players who can leave if there is an opportunity, but the market will dictate. Villa may find it hard to move fringe players on who are on big money, especially those who may not have impressed last season. Bailey struggled with injuries at Roma, although their training schedule was not helpful to him, and Guessand's loan at Crystal Palace was underwhelming, again a lot down to injury. There is interest in Bogarde and he could leave but no decision has been made - although he made 44 appearances last season and was a useful utility player. Abraham didn't make the impact some may have expected but, while Villa are looking for a new striker, he can still be useful for Unai Emery. Explore Villa content on BBC Sounds Gale asked: Is the budget totally reliant on sales or is there wiggle room? Nick: Villa do not have much wiggle room, especially as they have to comply with an agreement with Uefa over what they can spend. Last summer, Villa were found guilty of breaching Uefa's squad cost rule and fined £9.5m, but they also had to agree to a three-year plan. On Tuesday, they were fined £19.4m for another breach , although £12.9m is suspended, depending on the club continuing to significantly decrease their squad-cost ratio in 2026. Because of last year's plan agreed with Uefa, in 2026-7 the club must "have a maximum football earnings deficit of 0m euros for the reporting period ending in 2027". So Villa need to break even, which naturally puts more of a strain on the transfer business. Keep across this page on Friday for parts three and four of Nick's Q&A, which will look at subjects including whether Villa will keep their stars and the club's target for next season.