Aston Villa Deal-maker Enjoying Significant Input, Good Relationship With Unai Emery

Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images

 

Aston Villa’s president of football operations Roberto Olabe has had significant input in new contracts, while also sharing a better relationship with Unai Emery than his predecessor Monchi did, according to the Daily Mail.

 

The Villans saw an opportunity to close the gap with Arsenal in the title race go begging, after losing at home to Everton at the weekend.

 

In a post-match interview, Emery declared his side as not being ‘contenders to be in the top five,’ stating bluntly that ‘there are other teams with more potential than us’.

 

Richard Keys took issue with that, stressing in his view, Aston Villa are certainly contenders for a Champions League spot, just not Premier League title contenders.

 

 

Emery’s utterings are believed to be less of an indictment of his squad and more indicative of his displeasure with Villa’s recruitment.

 

Aston Villa have been hamstrung by PSR rules and have struggled to bring in players that match their rising ambitions.

 

 

Monchi brought in Harvey Elliott from Liverpool and Jadon Sancho from Manchester United on loan in the summer, but neither signing has worked out.

 

 

Elliott has been advised by former Liverpool midfielder David Thompson to go back to Anfield, while Sancho is being linked with a return to Borussia Dortmund.

 

 

Though it has not been clarified as to why Monchi left his role in September, it was during a period in which Emery called his team ‘lazy’ as Aston Villa found themselves in the bottom three and winless after five games.

 

 

Monchi was subsequently replaced by Olabe, who was previously linked with the role at Arsenal.

 

 

Olabe is said to have had ‘significant inputs’ regarding the handing out of new contracts since his appointment. 

 

Emery is also said to share a better relationship with Olabe than that he had with Monchi, and a strained relationship would go some way to explain why Monchi stepped away from the job. 

 

Olabe is now in the midst of his first window as Aston Villa’s transfer boss and is discovering the difficulty of the task he is faced with first hand.

 

Aston Villa have already missed out on key target Conor Gallagher, with the midfielder preferring a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

 

Club Brugge midfielder Raphael Onyedika is also a target, but the Villans look set to miss out again, this time to Galatasaray.

 

Though Alysson and Brian Madjo have been brought in, Donyell Malen has departed to Roma due to his desire to play as a number 9 on a regular basis.

 

Besiktas striker Tammy Abraham is though closing in a move to Villa Park after agreeing personal terms, in what will be a welcome arrival for Emery.

 

Boubacar Kamara suffering a knee injury comes as a major blow, leaving Villa seeking cover for the influential midfielder. 

 

Emery will hope that Olabe can repeat Monchi’s trick from the previous winter window, when the loan arrivals of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio rejuvenated Villa’s season as Villa fans hope to ensure qualification for the Champions League at the very least.  

 

The post Aston Villa Deal-maker Enjoying Significant Input, Good Relationship With Unai Emery appeared first on Inside Futbol | Latest Football News, Transfer Rumours & Articles.