- Unai Emery has explained his relationship with Roberto Olabe, Aston Villa’s president of football operations
- Emery has placed his full trust in Olabe, stating he’ll “follow him without hesitation”
- This summer will be Villa’s most important in determining whether they can qualify for the Champions Leagee again next season
Unai Emery has placed his full trust in Roberto Olabe’s recruitment this summer as Aston Villa look to continue their push into the footballing elite. Emery has stated he’ll “follow him without hesitation” as his focus remains on the pitch.
The recruitment infrastructure at Villa underwent a profound shift in September 2025. Highly regarded Spanish executive Roberto Olabe officially arrived in the West Midlands as the club’s new president of football operations.
He stepped into the vacancy left by the outgoing Monchi, who seemed to have fallen out with Emery after last summer’s transfer window.
Olabe’s younger philosophy
Olabe brought an illustrious resume to Villa Park. He previously served as the architectural genius behind Real Sociedad’s modern resurgence, alongside influential sporting director spells at Real Valladolid, Independiente del Valle in Ecuador, and the Qatar Football Association.
Throughout his career, Olabe has championed a strict philosophy centered on unearthing and nurturing elite young talent. At La Real, his blueprint facilitated the monumental development of stars like Alexander Isak, Martin Ødegaard, and Martin Zubimendi.
Rather than hunting short-term, expensive fixes, Olabe prioritises long-term sustainable growth by building robust scouting networks to capture high-ceiling players before their market values explode.
This long-term, specialised approach perfectly complements Emery, who has vocally embraced Olabe’s appointment to steer the club’s off-pitch strategy.
“We all want the same thing at Aston Villa, but we need specialists,” Emery said. “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.
A two-decade relationship built on trust
The seamless integration of Olabe into Villa’s hierarchy is fueled by a profound, multi-decade rapport. The duo’s professional history stretches back to the mid-2000s, giving them a foundation of trust and respect between one another.
“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 can contribute in all the necessary areas to keep growing.
“I’m ultimately responsible, but we share that responsibility. But I insist, my focus has always been on the pitch. Outside of that, whatever Roberto tells me, I’ll follow him without hesitation.”
Emery continued: “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 all that growth produces many emotions along the way, mostly positive, and from those emotions, you create very strong feelings and a deep connection.”
ReadAstonVilla verdict
As the club pushes deep into elite European competition, having an aligned vision between the manager and recruitment lead, which didn’t seem to be the case last summer, could be the definitive factor in establishing Villa as a permanent superpower.
The need for young talent who possess enough quality to sustain Villa’s level is the direction Villa have to take this summer. Olabe is the perfect man to identify those players.
