Internal Aston Villa operations receive positive review from NYT's The Athletic reporter | OneFootball

Organizational structure is important, particularly for clubs like Aston Villa in their attempt to compete with the top sides in Europe. Too often, a lack of connectivity and unaligned values can seep into the business side of the sport. This leads to seemingly small (or sometimes quite massive and obvious) maneuvers from the backdoor offices to have devastating impacts.

Not only do the immediate moves themselves then not work out, but the long-term health is hampered through shortsightedness. Avoiding these types of scenarios is critical, particularly when on the brink of a massive leap in success. This too can lead to trouble when people jockey for credit and suddenly stray from what would otherwise be a successful path in order to chase the immediate gratification of a big-time, showstopping transfer, for example.

This appears to be far from the case for ACFC, however. Monchi has given Unai Emery a lot of great pieces to work with, and the academy is bringing up quality through the ranks. More importantly, the fear of a sudden, ill-advised, and highly questionable deviation from the plan appears to be very far from the horizon.

According to Jacob Tanswell of The Athletic, the operations function within a small circle of trusted voices. This allows for fewer hands in the cookie jar, so to speak. The same nucleus of decision-makers is involved in all transactions. Having an aligned and unified process allows Villa to approach everything with a level of clear-headedness.

Major difference from Aston Villa

This aspect, for Tanswell, as detailed in his article, is a decided advantage compared to other executive approaches at other clubs. Ownership is always aware of the undertakings, including up to and through the younger levels, according to the reporter as well. There aren't any surprises or giant missteps in the hierarchy, and everyone appears to have clearly defined roles within the club.