TA: Villa had long expected Martin to leave, and he had no one to cause Fleken to fail

Hupu September 23rd News TheAthleticUK reporter team wrote the exclusive column of Villa.

However, when a small number of staff members learned of Monkey's departure Monday afternoon, they were surprised to find that one of Villa's most senior figures, a well-known football executive, had left the team. The players finished training earlier that day, and the Athletic reported the news a few hours later. More employees, including senior officials, who were not directly involved in the Monchi department, were equally surprised.

They admitted that Villa's signing work was not done well, and the relationship between the two sides was becoming increasingly tense, but it had not reached the point where Monkey left more than a month after the start of the new season.

The specific reason why Monkey left depends on who you ask. Some people believe that this is a last resort in the context of turbulence in the summer transfer market; others believe that this is a common decision between the two sides, and there are personal reasons why Monkey wants to return to Spain.

Monkey is deeply loved and respected by his colleagues. He is amiable, has a strong personality and has a good cooperation with his direct departments. Both Monkey and his team expressed their grievances at his departure, although they understood the toughness of the summer transfer window and the level of authority at the time that meant it would be difficult for him to push the players they were optimistic about.

senior officials said that the Spaniard deserves a goodbye and is expected to say goodbye to the club before completing the legal procedures related to leaving the team on Tuesday. The players were officially notified Tuesday morning, and Olabe is about to take up his duties.

"His name hangs on the door," said a person who had worked with him. It is inevitable that people will judge him based on the club's transfer records.

Since the transfer deadline on September 2, uncertainty surrounding Monkey's future has grown intensified.

The 57-year-old executive rarely appeared at Villa's training base before. Many people believe that Villa is planning to reorganize the team's management, which eventually led to Olabe's joining.

Over the summer, observers who are closely watching the matter have noticed that Monci is increasingly staying with the Spanish fifth-level league team San Fernando CD, who he played for as a child, is committed to saving the team from the threat of bankruptcy.

This is particularly striking given Monkey's previous close collaboration with Emery and Director of Football Operations Damian Vidagani. They eat breakfast and lunch together almost every day and share the connected office at the training ground. As Villa's "iron triangle", they have achieved great success, qualifying for the Champions League in the 2023-24 season and reaching the Champions League quarter-final the following year.

Multiple sources joked that whenever you see Monkey, Vidagani always follows closely—and vice versa. They still maintain an extremely close relationship and actually act as Emery’s gatekeeper, and the staff feel that if they want to talk to the head coach, they have to go through one of them.

Under UEFA's Team Cost Rules (SCR), Villa had to reduce his salary income to 70% or less in the summer from around 85% at the end of last season.

They also noticed UEFA's Football Income Rule (FER), which stipulates that clubs' losses during this period shall not exceed €60 million.

These financial restrictions exacerbate the challenges of the summer transfer window, causing Villa to miss numerous preferred targets. Senior officials such as Vidagani and Monchi have been working hard to put out the fire, while also satisfying Emery’s desire to improve his lineup.

However, other staff members also admitted that the summer transfer window is indeed quite chaotic, and Emiliano Martinez's transfer storm is a typical example. He finally stayed on the training ground on the last day and desperately wanted to transfer to Manchester United.

According to TheAthletic, Villa expected Martinez to transfer earlier in the transfer window and was advancing negotiations with Brentford's Mark Fleken to replace the Argentine international.

Martinez failed to transfer successfully, Villa's time ran out, and Fleken eventually transferred to Leverkusen. This is just an example of Villa's strategy being blocked and having to deal with emergencies.

It is reported that Villa's transfer strategy is like a "puzzle game". If Emery thinks that the role of the existing player can be adjusted, he can quickly switch between target players.

clubs usually consider multiple options when fighting for priority, and Emery decides which one to choose in the end.

This is not unique to Villa, but for those outside Emery's core circle, the transfer strategy may seem obscure.