Dean Smith: “The ambition of the owners is to be challenging, regularly, for the Champions League places & the Premier League. That's what they want to do. We have an Egyptian owner & an American owner, and they want to grow the #avfc brand worldwide.” [birmingham live]

Smith: “To do that we need to be competing at the top end of the Premier League, & that’s where we are aiming to go. We have a recruitment strategy & there are lots of plates spinning at the moment & that’s where we, as a club, are very fortunate to have the owners we do.” #avfc

Smith: “Whenever I speak to them, one of the things they talk about is the club’s history. They did their research before they even arrived. They are driving this club forward. We want success. The high performance centre we have had built here is growing the club.” #avfc

Smith: “It does take time to catch up with teams who have been in the Premier League for 20 odd years in succession because of the finances they have enjoyed. What you’re hoping to do is overtake some of those who haven’t spent as wisely as they could.” #avfc

Smith: “But what these owners have shown is that they are willing to finance us closing that gap. And we feel we can certainly close that gap. I’m excited as the head coach of Aston Villa. But I’m excited for the supporters too. I believe these owners are the real deal.” #avfc