Aston Villa have confirmed the appointment of Roberto Olabe as their new president of football operation after Monchi stepped down from his role, Afrosport reports.
Olabe joins Villa immediately after leaving Spanish side Real Sociedad, where he served as director of football.
The 57-year-old reunites with Villa manager Unai Emery after their time at Almeria and has experience working in Qatar and Ecuador, as well as serving as the technical director of La Liga.
Meanwhile, Monchi’s tenure at the club lasted just over two years, with the Spaniard set for an advisory role with V Sports, the owners of Aston Villa.
He said: “I would like to thank everyone connected with Aston Villa for the support and warmth they have shown me since I joined the club, especially Unai and Damian who I have worked especially closely with over these last two years.
“I must also thank our owners, Nassef Sawiris, Wes Edens and Michael Angelakis for their confidence and their support. I would also like to say a special thank you to all the staff at Aston Villa as well as the players.
“Lastly, a big thank you to the supporters. We have enjoyed so many special moments together and I look forward to continuing to support V Sports in an advisory role.”
Monchi’s time at Villa brought huge success to the club, who finished fourth in the Premier League in his first year. They secured Champions League qualification and got to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 5-4 on aggregate by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
However, they finished sixth in the league last season and failed to return to Europe’s elite competition, settling for the Europa League.
Monchi led an exodus of top-class signings to Villa Park, with the arrivals of Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Amadou Onana. He also secured loan deals for Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio last season and brought in Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho this term.
Club chairman, Nassef Sawiris, said: “Firstly, I would like to thank Monchi for his hard work and invaluable contribution as President of Football Operations during an exciting period at Aston Villa. His commitment and vision has directly contributed to the club’s recent successes, reaching the quarter-final of the Champions League as well as qualifying for Europe for three consecutive seasons.
“We are delighted that Roberto is joining Aston Villa. 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 are currently struggling on the pitch and have yet to secure a win in their opening five league games. They were also knocked out of the League Cup in the third round, losing on penalties to Brentford.
Emery’s men have scored only one league goal this season and are 18th in the standings. They open their European campaign at home to Bologna on Thursday before hosting Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday.
