Aston Villa agree deal to appoint Roberto Olabe as Monchi replacement
Aston Villa have agreed a deal to appoint Roberto Olabe as their president of football operations following news that Monchi will leave the position.
The move is expected to be announced soon, after Monchi’s exit was reported by The Athletic on Monday night.
Olabe, 57, exited Real Sociedad at the end of last season, having built a reputation as one of the game’s leading sporting directors.
He was on Villa’s radar before they hired Monchi and has also been considered by top clubs like Arsenal and Real Madrid.
If a deal for Olabe gets done, many will see it as a significant coup — given the work produced across the Spaniard’s career.
At Real Sociedad, Olabe occupied an important role in the trading and development of players such as Alexander Isak, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard, Martin Zubimendi and more. He helped produce the ‘golden generation’ of Ecuadorian talent, including Moises Caicedo and Piero Hincapie, as head of sporting strategy at Independiente del Valle.
Emery, Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta are among the coaches Olabe is closely linked to, while he spent a period assisting Qatar in their 2022 World Cup preparations.
Monchi is returning to his native Spain — largely for personal reasons — but is expected to remain in an advisory capacity to Villa’s ownership group, V Sports, as part of plans to restructure the football department.
How Olabe transformed Real Sociedad
Analysis by Spanish football writer Dermot Corrigan in November 2024
On Olabe’s return to Real Sociedad in 2018 for a third spell as sporting director, long-serving club president Jokin Aperribay gave him wide-ranging powers, from youth development to transfers. The result has been the team’s most successful period since the early 1980s.
Long-serving veterans Xabi Prieto and Imanol Agirretxe were treated honourably while being moved on. Bets on promising youngsters Alexander Isak, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino paid off. Youth products Mikel Oyarzabal, Martin Zubimendi and Robin Le Normand became first-team pillars. Ex-Premier League veterans David Silva and Nacho Monreal brought experience and leadership. Coach Alguacil was promoted from the B team to the senior side and given time to work within a context he knew well.
Inside Spanish football, La Real were generally admired as a club that did things correctly and smartly as they overtook historically bigger rivals such as Valencia and Sevilla, where decisions were made more erratically.
For many observers, a key to La Real’s success was how everyone at the club — including president, sporting director, coach and senior players — were all very aligned in what they were doing. Steady progress culminated in a first trophy in three decades when eight home-produced players featured as they beat Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao in the 2020 Copa del Rey final (played behind closed doors in April 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic).
Off the pitch, La Real were also progressing. Olabe had a central role as the club’s Zubieta training ground was expanded and developed. A unified player development model was implemented across the men’s and women’s teams at all levels, with an emphasis on playing good technical football at a rapid pace. Alonso spent three years at Zubieta learning what he needed to become a top coach, before leaving for Bayer Leverkusen and then Real Madrid.
