Aston Villa boss recently shared how he has worked with the club’s current president of football operations so far.
Aston Villa’s transfer business is expected to be busy this summer despite no official moves being made yet. Their transfer targets are mainly involved in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including their own players who have been in the transfer news lately, Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Martinez.
Thus, their work might have to wait a bit until their nations are probably eliminated from the tournament, so that they can focus on what to do with their own futures. Yet, in the meantime, Villa and probably other clubs too can only monitor the situation and perhaps hold talks with the players’ agents or representatives.
In these crucial times, the role of the president of football operations becomes important. Previously, the position was held by Monchi, but since September 2025, it has been handed over to Roberto Olabe.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery appears to have complete trust in him, as he told El Diario Vasco in an interview, which was reported by Birmingham Mail.
“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.”
Unai Emery has known Roberto Olabe for a long time. They first became acquainted during Emery’s playing career at Real Sociedad back in the late 1990s and throughout his early coaching career at Almeria in the late 2000s. The Villa boss has known him inside out. No wonder when Monchi left the post last season, the Spaniard immediately turned to his old friend, whom he described as the ‘recruitment specialist.’
“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 then went on to explain how much he respected Olabe’s work when they both worked at Almeria.
“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.”
Both of them also share the same vision on how to build a successful team with tight budgets. The former Sevilla and Villarreal boss added in his comments on him.
“I’ve had many conversations with Roberto Olabe about what Europe means – now and when he was at Real Sociedad. How he saw Sevilla, Villarreal – teams of a similar size to Real Sociedad.
“Being capable, thinking about how we can compete and grow. Real Sociedad is doing that – it’s trying to find its role in Europe, because next year they’ll be back after winning the Copa del Rey. All of that is growth, and along that path come many emotions, mostly positive – and from those emotions you build very strong feelings and a deep sense of belonging.”
The former goalkeeper has proven his keen eye for detail in signing players deemed finished or those whose moves had failed at their previous clubs, while also promoting young talents to the first team sooner rather than later.
During his tenure at Sociedad, Olabe’s inexpensive signings such as Mikel Merino, Alexander Isak, Take Kubo, and Martin Odegaard have all become key men for both their clubs and national teams.
Meanwhile, those promoted from the Sociedad academy are now fully fledged international players for Spain. The likes of Miguel Oyarzabal, Robin Le Normand, and Martin Zubimendi are solid examples of that.
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