Aston Villa have undergone several changes to their backroom staff this summer ahead of the new season.
The Villans have just ended their 30-year trophy drought and will return to the Champions League next season. However, Unai Emery has been forced to reshape his coaching staff following the departures of two key members, Pako Ayestaran and Antonio Rodríguez Saravia.
The club released an official statement, quoted by the Birmingham Mail:
“Both Pako and Rodri will always remain hugely popular at Aston Villa and everyone at the club would like to thank them for their service as well as wishing them all the very best for the future.”
They are the latest members of staff to leave Bodymoor Heath after two team doctors and head of medical services Arnaldo Abrantes, who all departed to join Premier League champions Arsenal.
Pako Ayestaran served as Aston Villa’s assistant manager after arriving alongside Emery in November 2022. He brought a wealth of experience to the coaching staff, having previously worked under Rafael Benítez at Liverpool for three years.
Ayestaran also enjoyed spells as head coach of Valencia, initially as caretaker manager in 2016, as well as managing Maccabi Tel Aviv, Portuguese side Tondela and several Mexican clubs, including Estudiantes Tecos, Santos Laguna and Pachuca.
He even took charge of Villa’s Premier League clash against West Ham United in January 2025 while Emery was serving a touchline ban. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
There has been no update regarding Ayestaran’s next destination. on the contrary, the situation is different for Rodríguez Saravia. Villa’s individual performance coach is set to join Italian side Como, where he will work alongside Cesc Fàbregas as the club prepares for its maiden Champions League campaign under the former Spain international.
Before arriving at Villa Park, Rodríguez Saravia worked with Emery in the same role at Villarreal between 2021 and 2022. Earlier in his career, he managed several lower-league Spanish clubs, including Gimnàstic Tarragona and Extremadura.
So far, Villa have appointed one replacement: Chema Sanz, formerly the assistant manager at Osasuna under Alessio Lisci.
Before that, Sanz served as assistant manager at Valencia under Rubén Baraja from 2023 until December 2024. He also held the same role during two previous spells at the club, working under Javi Gracia and Voro between 2020 and 2021, and under Marcelino and Voro from 2017 to 2019.
The coach, whose full name is José María Sanz Sánchez, also worked as assistant manager at Sheffield United between July 2021 and May 2022 under Paul Heckingbottom and Slavisa Jokanović.
Interestingly, Sanz first became an assistant manager at Almería in 2010, where he worked under several coaches, including Roberto Olabe, who is the current Aston Villa’s president of football operations.
His only experience as a first-team manager came during two caretaker spells with Levante in May 2022 and April 2023. On both occasions, he oversaw two matches while the club were competing in Spain’s second tier.
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