Aston Villa Appoints Olabe as Monchi Departs

Monchi Steps Down

Aston Villa has announced the resignation of Monchi as the president of football operations, with Roberto Olabe, the former sporting director of Real Sociedad, appointed as his successor. Olabe, aged 57, held the position at Sociedad for seven years before departing at the end of the previous season.

Monchi’s departure comes as Villa finds itself sitting 18th in the Premier League due to an inability to secure wins so far this season. The club has stated that Monchi will remain involved in an advisory capacity following his exit.

Chairman Nassef Sawiris expressed gratitude towards Monchi for his substantial contributions during his tenure at the club. “I would like to thank Monchi for his hard work and invaluable contribution during an exciting period at Aston Villa,” Sawiris said. “His commitment and vision have directly contributed to the club’s recent successes, reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League and qualifying for Europe for three successive seasons.”

Monchi initially joined Villa in 2023 from Sevilla, where he had worked closely with Villa manager Unai Emery. Together, they guided Villa into the Europa Conference League semi-finals in 2024 and achieved a Champions League spot by finishing fourth in the Premier League. Last season, the team advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by the title-winning Paris Saint-Germain.

“I look forward to continuing to support V Sports in an advisory role,” Monchi remarked.

The team has struggled in the early stages of the current season, failing to win any of their first five league matches and netting only one goal. Their woes continued with a Carabao Cup exit after a penalty shootout defeat to Brentford last week.

Achievements of Olabe

Villa manager Emery played a key role in selecting Olabe as Monchi’s replacement. Hailing from Vitoria in the Basque Country—approximately 100 miles from Emery’s own hometown—Olabe’s previous managerial experience at Real Union, a club Emery has invested in, has further solidified their connection.

Despite Monchi’s exit occurring amidst disappointing performances, it does not threaten Emery’s position, showcasing his continued influence in Villa’s operations. Under Olabe’s leadership at Sociedad, the club secured the 2020 Copa del Rey—its first major trophy in over three decades.

Olabe was instrumental in the acquisition and development of several high-profile players, including Alexander Isak, who was purchased for £6 million and later sold to Newcastle for £63 million, and Martin Zubimendi, who rose through the academy ranks before moving to Arsenal for £60 million this summer. He also facilitated Martin Ødegaard’s loan from Real Madrid prior to Ødegaard’s transfer to Arsenal.

There were even indications that Olabe could have joined Arsenal when they sought to replace Edu.

Financial Constraints

Monchi’s and Emery’s efforts to remodel the club involved significant expenditures, such as the £50 million acquisition of defensive midfielder Amadou Onana, and the £43 million signing of attacker Moussa Diaby. However, Diaby was dealt to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League after just one season, while Onana has faced injuries.

The Belgian midfielder, who had a record-breaking transfer from Everton, played merely 22 league matches last season and is currently sidelined with hamstring issues, having appeared just twice this season. Over the past eighteen months, Villa has faced financial limitations due to sustainability regulations enforced by both the Premier League and UEFA, alongside a £9.5 million fine from UEFA for breaching fiscal guidelines.

To stabilize finances, Villa sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus for £42 million in 2024, despite his limited impact in Serie A last season. Recent sales, including Omari Kellyman to Chelsea for £19 million and Tim Iroegbunam to Everton for £9 million, have contributed to essential revenue. Jacob Ramsey’s transfer to Newcastle for £40 million last month underscored the club’s commitment to profit generation through player development.

In recent lineup decisions, only two players in the starting eleven from the recent 1-1 tie against Sunderland were recruited during the Monchi-Emery era. This summer, Villa enhanced their squad by signing goalkeeper Marco Bizot from Brest and forward Evann Guessand from Nice for £30 million, culminating in the deadline-day arrivals of Harvey Elliott, Jadon Sancho, and Victor Lindelöf.

England Under-21 midfielder Elliott joined Villa on loan with an obligation to buy for £35 million, while Sancho and Lindelöf also made their respective moves to strengthen the squad. The successful acquisitions of Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough and free-agent Youri Tielemans reflect Villa’s strategic direction moving forward.