What to expect from Roberto Olabe as Aston Villa transfer strategy set to take a new direction

The transfer policy at Aston Villa is set to enter a new phase after the club replaced Monchi as their president of football operations.

Villa are in the process of a big change behind the scenes. Manager Unai Emery is responsible for a poor run of results on the pitch but his hand has been strengthened by the identity of Monchi’s successor.

Monchi is expected to take on an advisory role at V Sports, Villa’s majority owners, but has been succeeded by Real Sociedad sporting director Roberto Olabe with immediate effect.

Olabe has been steering La Real since 2018 and is credited with their progress from a mid-table team to a regular challenger for European football. On Olabe’s watch, the Basque club ended a 30-year trophy drought by winning the Copa del Rey in 2019/20.

The 57-year-old’s work in player recruitment and talent development in San Sebastián were impressive and he arrives in Birmingham to reunite with Emery, the Villa manager who he’s known since they played together for the Basque side’s B team.

Olabe’s modus operandi might suggest a slight shift in focus within Villa’s football department and in its transfer strategy. Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris hinted at the reasons for Olabe’s appointment in a statement on the club’s official website.

“We are delighted that Roberto is joining Aston Villa,” said Sawiris. “He has built a reputation as someone who can spot talent that can be developed, and we look forward to supporting him to achieve the ambitions we have for V Sports and Aston Villa.”

Villa’s transfer approach under Monchi and Emery was predicated on ‘winning now’ and, to a lesser extent, on flipping younger players with some resale value. Olabe’s appointment could indicate a refreshed philosophy.

Developing talents from the academy

One area in which Olabe has been successful and has become well-regarded is in leading the development of young and talented players from the club academy, not only with Real Sociedad but at previous clubs too.

At La Real, he was responsible for bringing through young talent in terms of both players and managers. During Olabe’s time at the club, the likes of Martín Zubimendi, Robin Le Normand and Mikel Oyarzabal were promoted into the first team and went on to become key players and money-makers for the club.

Former La Real player Xabi Alonso, now in charge at Real Madrid, spent three years working under Olabe with Real Sociedad B before moving back to Germany and winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen.

Olabe was involved in the development of local prospects in Qatar before the 2022 World Cup as a director of Aspire Group, and worked in Ecuador and alongside Emery at Almería.

His time in South America was spent in charge of sporting strategy in Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle, building the club’s youth academy and paving the way for the likes of Moisés Caicedo, Piero Hincapié and Gonzalo Plata to become key players in Ecuador’s national team.

Polishing raw players from top teams

With Villa’s aims being to win silverware and stay in Europe every season, it’s also necessary to take raw players from major clubs who aren’t getting the opportunities they need to play or have to be sold for financial reasons.

Olabe has proven his ability in this regard too, recruiting Alexander Isak (from Borussia Dortmund), Martin Ødegaard, Takefusa Kubo (both from Real Madrid) and Mikel Merino (from Newcastle United) when they were struggling for regular minutes or needed a new beginning.

Real Sociedad gave them that chance and were able to sell them at high prices, a key strand of Villa’s transfer future.

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