Aston Villa are going through a major sporting change at the top of the club, with Monchi set to leave his role as president of football operations but an agreement with a successor already reported to be in place.
After a challenging summer transfer window in which new signings were limited and Villa reluctantly cashed in on academy graduate Jacob Ramsey, the team have made a poor start to the season.
No wins from five games leaves them in the relegation zone in the early weeks and now a major shakeup appears to be happening where the sporting power and control at Villa Park is held.
The Athletic started by reporting the imminent departure of Monchi, the revered recruiter credited with building multiple Sevilla sides across two spells that dominated the Europa League. The Spaniard joined Villa in 2023 at Unai Emery’s request and helped the club qualify for the Champions League for the first time in decades and subsequently reach the quarter-finals.
No doubt hindered by PSR limitations and the need to stay compliant that drew the ire of frustrated fans all summer, there appears to have been a squad stagnation.
But Monchi doesn’t appear to be leaving a gaping hole in the sporting hierarchy, with Villa moving quickly to secure his replacement. A later report from The Athletic named Roberto Olabe as that man, hammering out a deal with the Spaniard known for his body of work with Real Sociedad.
Olabe, 57, left the San Sebastian club at the end of last season and over the past seven years was involved in the buying and selling of players like Alexander Isak, Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Merino, while Martin Ødegaard also passed through in a crucial period of his career. Olabe is additionally credited with work overseeing sporting strategy at Independiente del Valle at a time when Moisés Caicedo, Piero Hincapié and others were produced by the Ecuadorian club.
It is said that Monchi’s departure and return to Spain is driven largely by undisclosed personal reasons, and he will continue to serve as an adviser to Villa’s ownership group.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Reports: Aston Villa Lose Key Chief After Poor Start to Season.