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Villa hit by great Chinese takeaway

Chris Dunlavy

TONY Xia is – apparently – worth a billion quid. So when the 41-yearold turned up at Villa Park in an Uber, something smelled fishy.
By this summer, the reek was overpowering. A missed tax bill. Sacked staff. A £40m shortfall and a desperate hunt for investment.
Like the fat striker who turns up for pre-season towing a caravan, the onetime European champions were a shambling wreck. By the start of July, a club that spent a Championship- record £88m on players in the 2016-17 campaign was pondering flogging their car park to make ends meet.
Only by ...

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