Aston Villa is expected to replace the Monchi sports director with Olabe de Real Sociedad

Aston Villa is in advanced negotiations with Roberto Olabe, the former sports director of Real Sociedad, to take over as president of football operations after the imminent departure of Monchi.

Olabe, 57, left Sociedad last summer after a successful seven -year -old visit, and is now the main candidate to participate in the role at Villa Park.

The release of Monchi occurs during a difficult spell for the club, with 18th seated villa in the Premier League after failing to win one of their first five games.

The impact of Monchi and the decline of the villa

The Spaniard arrived in Villa in 2023 from Seville, where he had worked in close collaboration with Unai Emery. Their partnership quickly paid off, guiding the team to a semi-final of the Europa conference league in 2024 and a fourth place in the Premier League which obtained qualification in the Champions League.

Last season, Villa reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, losing against the possible Paris Saint-Germain winners.

However, this quarter has been much less promising – a single goal so far in the League, no victories and a fire loss against Brentford in the EFL Cup.

Why Olabe?

The director of Villa Emery was directly involved in the selection of Olabe as replacement of Monchi, a decision which also demonstrates his influence at the club.

Olabe is from Vitoria in the Basque Country, about 100 miles from the hometown of Emery, the Hondarribie. Their careers have previously overlooked – Olabe managed Real Union, a part Emery has an interest and where his brother Igor is president.

During his stay in Real Sociedad, Olabe supervised a golden period. The club won the COPA Del Rey 2020, ending a 33 -year expectation for silverware and has built a reputation for the development and trade in talent.

The notable movements included the signature of Alexander Isak of Willem II and later sold him to Newcastle for 63 million pounds Sterling, as well as Martin Zubimendi, who joined Arsenal for 60 million pounds Sterling this summer.

Olabe was also behind the Real Madrid Martin Odegaard loan before his possible move to Arsenal, while Mikel Merino was another success.

At one point, Arsenal even considered Olabe for a role of sports director before opting against this decision.

Financial pressures shape the villa strategy

Monchi’s mandate at Villa was strongly influenced by financial restrictions. The Premier League and the UEFA profit and sustainability rules have limited expenses, the club inflicted a fine of 9.5 million pounds sterling in July for breaking the regulations.

This forced the sale of several key players. Douglas Luiz was transferred to Juventus for 42 million pounds Sterling in 2024 before being loaned to Nottingham Forest.

Graduates of the Omari Kellyman Academy (19 million pounds Sterling in Chelsea), Tim Iroegbunam (9 million pounds Sterling in Everton) and Jacob Ramsey (40 million pounds Sterling in Newcastle) also generated a vital benefit.

On the incoming side, Villa spent big on Amadou Onana (50 million pounds Sterling) and Moussa Diaby (43 million pounds sterling), although the two transfers were problematic – Diaby was sold to Al -Ittihad after a single season, while Onana had trouble injuring.

The more recent signatures include Marco Bizot from Brest and Evann Guessand de Nice (30 million pounds Sterling), as well as deadlines for Harvey Elliott, Jadon Sancho and Victor Lindelof.

Elliott joined a loan with an obligation of 35 million pounds of purchase sterling, Sancho arrived temporarily from Manchester United and Lindelof was acquired in free.

Some signatures have borne fruit – Morgan Rogers, recruited in Middlesbrough for a first £ 8 million pounds sterling, has since become an English international, while your Tielemans also impressed after his free arrival.

What is the next step for Villa?

While Monchi goes in the middle of a difficult start in the countryside, Emery’s position is not affected. Its influence in the recruitment of Olabe underlines its long -term importance for the project.

Olabe’s history on the mixture of academic development with clever transfer activities could provide the need for the villa which continues to sail in financial restrictions while aiming to recover in Europe.