After the season of football they’ve just been subjected to, Aston Villa supporters must have thought things couldn’t get much worse.
If anything, the news earlier this week has been quite positive for those that hold Villa dear to their hearts. Unpopular owner Randy Lerner finally packed his bags, completing a deal to sell the club to Chinese businessman Tony Jiantong Xia.
But although the 39-year-old reportedly intends to plough plenty of his hard-earned Yuan into the club, Xia has also indicated he’s considering changing the name of Villa Park, the club’s home for 119 years.
Although promising to not “callously destroy the club’s history”, quotes from Xia in the Beijing Times (via The Guardian) appear to suggest he is planning on using the club as a vehicle to promote his businesses.
“We want to use Villa’s history and its substantial fan base around the world to also promote Lotus Health products and services globally.
“The ideal scenario would be for fans to enjoy Lotus Health products at Lotus Villa Park, it would be a great advert for both brands.”
We’re sure the Holte Enders are just itching to start enjoying Lotus Health products as soon as season 2016/2017 gets under way.
That said, if this is the price to pay for returning to the top flight, perhaps they won’t mind too much.
