Monchi, Aston Villa's President of Football Operations has left the club. He joined from Sevilla in the summer of 2023 at the request of Unai Emery, who he had worked with before. His role was to head the player recruitment department and bring potential players to Emery that would be a good fit for Villa.
The trio of Emery, Monchi and Director of Football Operations, Damian Vidagany were the powerhouse of the football side of the club. They are Emery's closest friends and were almost always seen together. Vidagany would support player negotiations by explaining how Emery sees them fitting in the Villa squad, whereas Monchi would handle the transfer and contract fees.
The 57-year-old has come under scrutiny this summer by Villa supporters for the lack of improvement to the squad. Shackled by financial restrictions, Villa were unable to spend what they wanted and had to sell more players than they could buy. A couple of key players were rumoured to leave, but no suitable bids came in for them, meaning they would remain at Villa this season. Whilst at the time it seemed like a big positive, the Villans' start to the season suggests that it may have been better if some did leave so a refresh would occur.
In the game against Sunderland, nine out of the eleven starting XI were at the club before Emery had joined. Monchi's big signings of Amadou Onana for £50 million and Ian Maatsen for £37.5 million have not been regular starters for Villa and questions have been asked as to why so much money was spent on them. However, what has been clear since Monchi joined Villa, is that Emery has always had the final say on players and it was Monchi who would have to facilitate his desires.
Why Is It So Significant?
This is a hugely significant move because a vital figure in Villa's hierarchy has now departed. The power triangle of Emery, Monchi and Vidagany were the face of the club and all played monumental roles in Villa's recent success.
It is highly likely that this would have been approved by Emery in some way, if not fully his decision. He probably felt a fresh voice with new ideas and a different strategy is required.
The club needs some change and perhaps Monchi was also seen as the fall guy due to player recruitment stagnating, although largely out of his control. Villa breached UEFA rules causing sanctions for the next three years, which could have also played a part. Crucially however, Monchi wasn't Emery's first choice. Mateu Alemany was close to joining Villa after he left Barcelona, but he turned the move down as Villa didn't have the finances to sign lots of players. This has proved to be the case in every summer Monchi has been at the club.
The other angle of this decision is that Monchi may have wanted to return to Spain to his hometown club in San Fernando who he helped in the summer. Alongside his son Alejandro Rodríguez, Sergio Ramos, and Ramos' brother René, the group tried to save San Fernando CD from extinction under it's current ownership. Unfortunately, they weren't able to and so they formed a new club San Fernando 1940, which Monchi is now President of. His departure at Villa would mean he could now focus solely on the new project.
Who is Replacing Him?
Roberto Olabe who was the Sporting Director of Real Sociedad until this summer, has replaced Monchi. He is well known to Emery, as they played together at Sociedad and also worked with one another at Almería. He even managed Real Union, the club owned by Emery and his family.
Olabe has a strong reputation in Spain and was linked to replace Edu Gaspar at Arsenal before they opted to go for Andrea Berta instead. The 57-year-old's ideology is to focus on developing young players and turn them into superstars, a contrast to Villa's current philosophy of signing players for the here and now.
Aston Villa today announces changes to its Sporting Organisational structure.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 23, 2025
The swift nature of his replacement suggests that this could have already been planned as soon as Olabe left Real Sociedad and Monchi had formed a new club in his hometown in the summer.
His time at Sociedad was successful, as they returned to the Champions League in the 23/24 season, won the Copa del Rey in 2021 and became consistent top-six finishers in La Liga. Olabe's expertise in the transfer market was also highlighted, with the sales of Alexander Isak, Martin Zubemendi and Mikel Merino for substantial fees.
The job at Villa will be similar, with a big refresh expected next summer which Olabe will be at the forefront of. Working smartly within the sanctions and the rules will be required, but it is a big task ahead of him.
