Former Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood has revealed the club's owner Randy Lerner had the final say on buying players.
Sherwood, who was sacked last month, said the club's summer signings were also decided by a transfer committee; who approved 12 signings in the summer at a cost of £52.5m.
And he believes the new recruits at Villa, such as Jordan Ayew, Jordan Veretout and Adama Traore, need more time to settle for the Premier League strugglers.
"There was a committee, which I was part of, so I had a say in the players I wanted to bring into the football club," he told TV station BeIN Sports.
"We ended up signing 12 players, although there were a lot more players given to the committee than 12.
"I believe that those players in time will be good players for the football club, but then you bring in a lot of players from other countries that have not played and have not played and experienced the Premier League before - the competitive nature of it - it is going to take time."
Sherwood, who was replaced at Villa Park by Frenchman Remi Garde, has been linked with the hot seat at Queens Park Rangers after the west London club sacked Chris Ramsey on Wednesday evening.