Aston Villa on course to appoint Monchi replacement
Villa are poised to appoint Roberto Olabe as their new recruitment chief with president of football operations Monchi leaving the club.
The latter's exit is expected to be officially confirmed soon along with the arrival of Olabe, who has been in talks with Villa for several days.
Olabe, 57, spent seven years as Real Sociedad sporting director before leaving at the end of last season.
A former team-mate of Unai Emery at Real Sociedad in the 1990s, he also appointed Emery as manager of Almeria in 2006.
Olabe was on Villa's shortlist to become president of football operations in 2023.
They eventually moved for Monchi, who was at Bodymoor Heath on Monday to say goodbyes to staff before returning to Spain, with the next move in his career uncertain.
His surprise departure, after just over two years at the club, is thought to be down to a combination of factors and not directly related to results which have seen Villa fail to win any of their first six matches this season.
Monchi joined Villa from Sevilla in June 2023 with the reputation of being one of the finest talent-spotters in Europe thanks to his achievements at the Spanish club, with whom he won five Europa League titles in two spells as sporting director, including three with Emery as head coach.
A major appointment as part of an Emery-led restructure of Villa football department, he worked closely with the manager and head of football operations, Damian Vidagany.
Villa promptly went on to enjoy one of their best seasons in their recent history in 2023-24, qualifying for the Champions League.
But their record in the transfer market has been patchy, with big money signings including Moussa Diaby, Amadou Onana and Donyell Malen failing to make the desired impact.
The club has also been operating under considerable spending restrictions throughout Monchi’s tenure.
Together with Vidagany, he worked to raise quick money through the £42.5m sale of Douglas Luiz to ensure the club avoided breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules in 2024.
The recent summer window, meanwhile, saw Villa hampered further by Uefa’s financial fair play rules. Forward Evann Guessand, who joined from Nice for £23.5m, was the only player signed for significant money, with academy product Jacob Ramsey sold to Newcastle for £39m to balance the books.
Monchi was absent as Villa drew 1-1 against 10-man Sunderland in their most recent Premier league fixture.
But while the lack of wriggle room in the market is thought to have been a source of frustration and strained relationships, neither is there believed to have been a major bust-up behind the scenes.
