Unai Emery backs Roberto Olabe to steer Aston Villa summer recruitment | OneFootball

Unai Emery has outlined Aston Villa’s approach to the summer window.

“We all want the same thing at Aston Villa, but we need specialists. My specialty is not recruitment - I’ve always wanted to focus on the pitch, on the grass, on preparing what happens from the offices onto the field,” he told El Diario Vasco.

Olabe, one of Emery’s oldest allies, replaced Monchi last summer as president of football operations. He forged a strong reputation for talent identification at Real Sociedad.

“Since I started working with Roberto 20 years ago at Almería, I’ve had great professional and personal respect for him. I need people who contribute in all areas so we can keep growing. I’m ultimately responsible, but we share that responsibility. But I insist - my place has always been on the pitch. Outside of that, whatever Roberto says, I follow him completely.”

Villa face another balancing act this summer, aiming to strengthen while staying within Uefa’s financial fair play rules. Emery wants a striker, two wide players and a right-back, and there is a goalkeeper list if Emi Martinez leaves.

Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes and Paris Saint-Germain teenager Ibrahim Mbaye are among the wide targets under consideration, with Emery keen to add pace to his side.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com