Aston Villa officially announced on Tuesday that Monchi has stepped down as president of football operations with immediate effect. Although the reason for his departure has not been disclosed, he will continue to serve as a consultant to Villa's parent company, V Sports.

Officials also confirmed that Monchi's successor will be 57-year-old Roberto Orabé. Orabé, a goalkeeper during his playing career, transitioned into management after retiring in 1999. He has coached Real Sociedad, Almeria, and Real Irun, and has also served as sporting director for numerous organizations, including Real Sociedad, Eibar, Almeria, Valladolid, Independiente, Aspire Sports Academy, and the Qatar Football Association.

It is worth mentioning that Olabe worked with Unai Emery at Almeria for about a year. His move to Aston Villa means that the two will join forces again after an absence of 18 years.

Regarding the personnel changes, Aston Villa Chairman Nassef Sawiris said: "Firstly, I must thank Monchi for his hard work and invaluable contribution during his time as Aston Villa's President of Football Operations. His dedication and vision have directly contributed to the club's recent achievements - including reaching the Champions League quarter-finals and qualifying for European competitions for three consecutive seasons."

“We are also very pleased to have Roberto Olabe join Aston Villa. He is renowned for identifying and developing promising young talent and we look forward to supporting him in realising the shared vision of V Sports and Aston Villa.”

Monchi added: “I would like to thank everyone at Aston Villa for their support and hospitality since I joined, especially Unai Emery and Darmian, who have worked closely with me over the past two years. I must also thank the club’s owners, Nassef Sawiris, Wes Edens and Michael Angelakis, for their trust and support, and a special thank you to all the Aston Villa staff and players. Finally, a sincere thank you to all the fans who have supported us. We have shared many unforgettable moments together, and I look forward to continuing to support the development of V Sports in an advisory capacity in the future.”