Roberto Olabe set succeed Monchi as Aston Villa Sporting Director | OneFootball

Aston Villa are closing in on the appointment of Roberto Olabe as their new sporting director, with the former Real Sociedad executive set to succeed Monchi as president of football operations at Villa Park, BBC Sport reports.

Olabe, 57, spent seven years overseeing recruitment and development in San Sebastián, where he built a reputation for combining financial prudence with competitive success. His tenure delivered the 2020 Copa del Rey, Sociedad’s first major silverware in more than three decades, and a transfer record highlighted by Alexander Isak, Martin Ødegaard, and Martin Zubimendi, all of whom have since become marquee Premier League names.

Financial strain and transfer missteps

Villa, by contrast, find themselves in transition. Monchi, who joined in 2023 after his celebrated stint at Sevilla, departs amid a poor run of results that has left Unai Emery’s side 18th after five games. Though his partnership with Emery briefly flourished, yielding a Champions League quarter-final appearance last season, it has been undermined by financial restrictions and costly missteps in the market.

Moussa Diaby, signed for £43m, was sold to Saudi Arabia after a single season, while £50m midfielder Amadou Onana has been hampered by injury. The club were fined £9.5m by UEFA in July for breaching Profit and Sustainability rules, forcing the sales of Douglas Luiz, Jacob Ramsey, and several homegrown talents.

A new direction

Despite the turbulence, Emery remains central to Villa’s direction. He has been closely involved in the pursuit of Olabe, a fellow Basque with whom he shares deep footballing ties. Their relationship, stretching back to Real Unión, the club Emery partly owns, signals a continuity of vision at Villa Park.

Monchi’s exit is less about managerial upheaval than a recalibration of strategy. Villa’s transfer business underlines the challenge: deadline-day deals for Jadon Sancho, Victor Lindelöf, and Harvey Elliott suggest opportunism rather than long-term planning. Olabe, whose track record blends academy development with sharp market dealings, arrives tasked with restoring balance to a squad still searching for its identity.

GFN | Finn Entwistle