Aston Villa’s chairman ridiculed after claiming they will be Europe’s biggest club in five years

ASTON VILLA’S new chairman Dr Tony Xia has been ridiculed after claiming the club will be the top club in Europe with the most fans in the world in FIVE years time.

The wildly ambitious statement from the Championship side’s new owner comes after Roberto Di Matteo‘s side lost their first game in the second tier since 1988 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.

Last season the Birmingham club got one of the lowest points totals in Premier League history while fans angrily confronted players and former owner Randy Lerner during a dismal campaign.

Speaking during a Twitter Q&A with fans this afternoon, Dr Xia believed in five years time the club can be the world’s largest – an impossible task given the huge popularity and success of the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Di Matteo’s side travel to Luton tonight in the first round of the EFL Cup having broken the Championship transfer record with the £14million signing of Fulham striker Ross McCormack last week.

Businessman Xia is chairman, CEO and owner of Recon Group, a Chinese company with interests in IT, Health and Agriculture, Smart Transportation, Engineering and Design, financial services, and Sports, Leisure and Tourism.

He bought Villa from US owner Lerner for a reported £76m this summer and has already made enemies on social media after a bizarre rant at pundit and former manager Ian Holloway after he predicted a 16th place finish for the Villains.