Aston Villa

Spanish

Roberto Olabe

President of Football Operations

Former pro goalkeeper and managed Real Sociedad, Almeria and Real Union before moving into the Director of Football role. Has been Sporting Director at Real Valladolid, Independiente del Valle in Ecuador, Aspire and the Qatar Football Association in Qatar, as well as Technical Director of La Liga, but best known for his work at Real Sociedad, where he was Director of Football during three separate spells 2002 to 2005, 2006 and 2018 to 2025.

Spanish

Damian Vidagany

Director of Football Operations

Was Marketing Director at Valencia during Emery’s time at the club. Moved to Villa as the Head Coach’s personal assistant and has regularly appeared alongside him at press conferences. Moved to the more formal role of Director of Football Operations after Monchi was appointed in June 2023.

Spanish

Unai Emery

Head Coach

One of the most successful coaches in European football. Won three Europa Leagues with Sevilla before joining Paris-Saint Germain, where he claimed seven trophies, including a domestic quadruple in his second season. Things didn’t go quite so well at Arsenal, where he lasted only one-and-a-half seasons, but still reached the Europa League final. Joins from Villarreal, where he won the Europa League (again) in his first season and reached the Champions League semi-finals in his second.

Spanish

Pako Ayestaran

Assistant

Started out as a fitness coach before becoming Rafa Benitez’s assistant at a number of clubs, including Valencia and Liverpool. Left in acrimonious circumstances in 2007 to become a manager in his own right, and has led teams in Spain, Israel, Mexico and Portugal. Now back to being a number two.

Spanish

Pablo Villanueva

First-Team Coach

Long-time assistant of Emery’s, having worked with him at Sevilla, PSG, Arsenal and Villarreal.

Spanish

Francisco Javier Garcia

Goalkeeper Coach

Also worked for Emery at Sevilla, PSG, Arsenal and Villarreal.

Spanish

Antonio Rodríguez Saravia

Individual Performance Coach

Came through the youth ranks at Barcelona before forging a pro career at other clubs in Spain. Was an assistant and manager before becoming Development Coach for Emery at Villarreal.

Scottish

Austin MacPhee

Set Piece Coach

Globetrotter as a player, turning out for teams in the United States, Romania and Japan. Moved into coaching in his late twenties and has been assistant with St Mirren, Hearts, Mexico, Northern Ireland and FC Midtjylland. Appointed as Villa’s first set piece coach in August 2021.

Spanish

Moises de Hoyo

Fitness Coach

Worked for Watford for four months in 2021, but left because his family had remained in Spain. Was reunited with Emery at Villarreal, having worked with him at Sevilla. Has also been a fitness coach at Deportivo La Coruna and Levante.

Australian

Jeremy Oliver

Performance Director

Appointed in November 2018 and oversees the medical/ performance department. Had previously worked in his homeland of Australia.

English

Aman Singh Shergill

Head of Innovation and Performance Science

Appointed as Performance Scientist in November 2019 following four-and-a-half years at near rivals Birmingham City. Promoted to current role in July 2023.

English

Oli Stevenson

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Youth player at Villa before taking a sports science degree at Loughborough University and taking a different path. Started as an S&C with the Academy before being promoted to the first team.

English

Patrick Moore

Senior Physical Performance Coach

Joined the club as a Strength and Conditioning Coach in January 2019 from Brentford, where he had worked for three-and-a-half years. Title changed to Physical Performance Coach in May 2021 and he became Senior Physical Performance Coach for the first team in July 2024.

English

Head of Performance Psychology

Emma Weir

Joined as Academy Psychologist in November 2019, having worked in the Para Performance Programme with the Football Association for the previous two years. Promoted to Head of Performance Psychology in November 2025.

Portuguese

Arnaldo Abrantes

Head of Medical Services

Was an international sprinter for Portugal before qualifying as a physician. Was Head of Medical for Estoril and Nottingham Forest before joining Aston Villa at the start of 2023/24.

English

Ali James

Head Physio

Appointed in November 2022, having previously worked for both the Rugby Football Union and Wasps for a decade.

English

Alan Smith

Lead Physio

Club stalwart who joined in July 2000.

English

Steven Polley

Lead Rehabilitation Physio

Promoted from the Academy following the departure of John Hartley to Derby County in December 2020. Moved into current role in December 2022.

English

Dom Rae

Physio

Has been a physio at Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United previously. Rae has been at Villa since July 2023.

English

Jon Whitney

Senior rehab physio

Played extensively in the Football League and also managed Walsall for two years. Has been a physio at Villa since June 2022. 

Spanish

Victor Manas

Video/ Data Analyst

Described as Emery’s “second pair of eyes” and has worked with him at Almeria, Sevilla, PSG, Arsenal and Villarreal. In 2021, TGG interviewed Manas about his work and he joined Villa in November 2022.

Spanish

José Antonio Romero

Assistant Coach and Tactical Analyst

Worked with Emery at Arsenal in 2019/20 and then for Sevilla in 2020. Was with Segunda Division side Cordoba CF as Lead Analyst and Assistant before joining Villa in December 2024. Expertise is in business intelligence and adept at using tools such as SQL, Python and PowerBI. 

English

Scott Adey-Linforth

First Team Performance Analyst

Was the first analyst to work with Villa Ladies. Promoted to Academy and then the first team in January 2018.

English

Joseph Ure

First Team Performance Analyst

Hired in April 2019 from Tottenham, where he had worked in similar roles for nearly three years.

Spanish

Jose Rodriguez Calvo

First Team Set Piece Analyst

Worked at Las Palmas, FC Midtjylland, and at Aston Villa since August 2021. He is also the Set Piece Coach for the Scotland national team, a role he took up in October 2024.

English

Arjav Trivedi

Head of Football Research & Strategy

Worked for Arsenal for three years as a Data Scientist and Engineer before a brief spell with Fifa. Joined Villa in October 2021 and responsible for using “cutting-edge techniques to derive insights from data”. Promoted to current role in November 2023.

English

Nick Dalton Barron

Data Engineer & Scientist

Joined in December 2024 from Prevent Biometrics. Had previous sporting experience with England Rugby League, as a Sports Scientist and Data Scientist. 

English

Paul Carter

First Team Operations Manager

Carter was promoted into this job in June 2025 to replace Matt Bennett, who took up a similar role at Al Ain Club in the United Arab Emirates.

He joined Villa as Senior Kit and Equipment Manager in June 2022 and previously worked for Birmingham City, Stoke City and Cardiff City.

English

Phil Roscoe

First Team Support Manager

Joined from Liverpool, where he had worked for seven years, in May 2022. Worked with Steven Gerrard during his 17-year stay with the Reds. His final role at Anfield was Academy Player Care Manager. He also had five years as an Academy Coach at Stoke City.