Aston Villa's new president of football operations Roberto Olabe has been speaking about the upcoming transfer window
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
View Image
Roberto Olabe has likened the January transfer window to Christmas and is excited to find solutions to strengthen Unai Emery’s side in January.
The former Real Sociedad sporting director replaced Monchi as Aston Villa’s president of football operations in September.
He will work closely with Villa’s director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, and manager Emery over the coming months and years.
Villa were restricted in what they could spend during the summer window, and that will again be the case in January unless they raise funds.
With just over eight weeks until the winter window opens, Olabe spoke to Villa TV about the transfer market.
“So, always, transfer window is like Christmas, like summer holidays for the people. Special moments,” Olabe said. “I think the most important is what we have. We are really satisfied with the players that we have working with our staff, with the manager, with Unai.
“But it’s true that our mentality is (to) try to improve, in terms to find some solutions that will help us. Of course, if we have a window, if we have a market, we have an opportunity to be better.
“But again, we will be better just in case that our solid base of players will develop his skills and his qualities. I believe absolutely in our manager doing the job that he is doing with the actual squad.
“That’s why always we try to speak about the people that still are not here in terms of market, but the most important thing is the people that we have. We are quite calm and satisfied because we are watching how they are competing.
“We are watching how they are playing. We are watching how they are working daily. But definitely, yes, of course we want to improve, and if we have one possibility to improve the squad, I will try.”
Asked how the Premier League’s and UEFA’s financial rules will hold Villa back, Olabe said: “So, we need to naturalise. It’s true that (there) are some rules around the social environment, around the football environment, and we want to respect these kinds of rules.
“Maybe we can agree, maybe we can disagree, but definitely, we need to respect, and from this, we need to adapt the way that we have to be in the market.
“But it’s important also, because the prestige of the club, it’s important to the people, so know that we are part of this actual environment, regarding, I mean, rules, and regarding, we will respect, but we work so hard to try to make balance between our needs and our possibilities.”
The latest Villa headlines sent straight to your phone
Join our Aston Villa WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click on this link and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. It's a free service. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from our Villa writers.
We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Villa news. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. Click here to read our Privacy Notice
Every day, the BirminghamLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Aston Villa content.
Our dedicated reporter John Townley - who you can follow on X by clicking here - follows Villa home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur - that's why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you'll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Villa newsletter here.
You can also get all your favourite content from BirminghamLive's Villa team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.
If you prefer reading our Villa stories on your phone, consider downloading the BirminghamLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Villa as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.
Our weekly Aston Villa podcast, Claret And Blue, is also available to watch and listen on all major streaming services. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel here, while you can access the podcast on Spotify here and via Apple here.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
Content Image