Aston Villa are undergoing some drastic changes a few months into the 2022/23 season. The campaign hasn’t started as swimmingly as they would’ve hoped for. After 13 Premier League games, they only have 12 points that include just 3 wins.
The Villans are sitting in 16th place and have been forced into a relegation battle in the opening months of the new campaign.
Steven Gerrard has been fired after being blamed for their shocking form, as he seemingly lost the trust of his players towards the end.
The owners have at least some expectations from the team, having spent over £50m in the summer transfers.
They have roped in experienced Spanish manager Unai Emery, who returns to the Premier League for the first time since 2018 – when he was fired as Arsenal manager after failing to fulfil expectations as Arsene Wenger’s successor.
Emery’s admirable stint at Villarreal – whom he also helped win the UEFA Europa League in the 2020/21 season and led all the way to the semi-finals of last season’s Champions League – helped Villa push strongly for him.
The Premier League side came up with the acquisition out of nowhere, surprising the Spanish team as well as a lot of fans.
Villa’s owners have put utmost trust in Emery to steady the ship after a poor start to the campaign. They’ll hope he can revitalize the side and at least guide them back to the top half of the table as well as vying for a European spot.
But along with the change in management and on-the-field issues, there are quite a few other major things planned for Villa. They’re also looking to tweak a thing which is the point of their identity itself.
The Villans have planned to redesign their club crest, giving it a more ‘modern’ look and following the footsteps of many football clubs who have done so in the past decades.
They have come up with two final designs for the new crest and asked their supporters to vote on which one to bring in.
Two major changes that can be seen in the new designs, in both versions, is that the direction of the iconic lion on their crest has been changed.
In the current crest, the lion is facing towards the left-hand side. But in the new version, it’s pointed in the other way.
Moreover, the new badge will feature the entire name of the club ‘Aston Villa’ in it – rather than ‘AVFC’ which is seen in the current version.
The first version of the possible new crest shows a shape which is the same as the one they have currently, and is very similar to the current one – barring the lion’s position and the new name being inscribed.
The second version is quite different, as the crest is of a round shape. This also allows them to insert the date ‘1874’ – the foundation year of the club – in it.
Villa’s owners are likely to take their time in letting a lot of fans decide the new crest, as their previous crest redesign in 2016 went so badly that it didn’t even last a whole decade.
