Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner took full control of Aston Villa on this day in 2006.
The billionaire American businessman paid £62.6million to increase his stake in the Premier League club to 85.5 per cent and take over as majority shareholder from the long-serving Doug Ellis.
He also assumed the position of chairman as he began a decade-long spell in charge at Villa Park.
“It wasn’t a lifelong thing. It would be dishonest and disingenuous for me to suggest it was. It seemed like an opportunity to make a little bit of a difference.”
Lerner was initially a highly visible figure at the club and appeared to play a hands-on role. The early signs were encouraging with three successive top-six finishes under manager Martin O’Neill.
A decline set in, however, following the sudden resignation of O’Neill just five days before the start of the 2010-11 season.
By then Lerner had already become a distant figure at Villa Park as well as the subject of fans’ frustration.
Efforts to sell the club, begun in 2014, were accelerated and a £76million deal was reached that summer with Chinese businessman Tony Xia, who in turn sold to current owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris in 2019.
