Just moments after Aston Villa secured a direct place in the last 16 of the Champions League by beating Celtic last January, Monchi couldn’t hold back his enthusiasm.

There was Villa’s ‘president of football operations’ on the sidelines, cheering loudly and pumping his fists as if he had hit the winning goal himself.

Whether he was smiling for the cameras next to Villa’s standout player, or snapping a pre-match selfie with other senior members, Monchi was always in the spotlight on these significant European occasions.

Of course, it wasn’t Monchi who failed to cover Granit Xhaka at the edge of the box allowing Sunderland to score an equalizer last Sunday, nor was it Monchi who missed Jadon Sancho’s cross while unmarked just four yards away.

However, upon reflection, Monchi’s departure from Villa is marked by a tarnished reputation. Coming in with an impressive title and salary that matched, Monchi joined the team two summers ago with a formidable reputation. He leaves behind an aging team, a large wage expense, and a club entangled in uncertainty.

Why has Monchi left?

The clue was in Emery’s team selection for the 1-1 draw at Sunderland. Of the nine starters, only Morgan Rogers and Evann Guessand were signed in the Emery/Monchi era.

Monchi had little involvement with signing Rogers, who was effectively handpicked by Emery in January 2024 after Villa played Middlesbrough in the FA Cup, and it is too early to judge £30million attacker Guessand, who arrived from Nice in August.

None of the other key signings of the Monchi era have become first-team regulars: Amadou Onana was the record signing at £52m, Ian Maatsen was brought for £38m and Donyell Malen for £20m. Pau Torres arrived less than a month after Monchi did, and some of the groundwork for that deal had been done.

While the loan deals for Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio last January helped revive the season, their arrivals failed to deliver the Champions League return Villa craved.

Due to UEFA spending rules and the fact they lack the revenue of the so-called ‘Big Six’, Villa had to sell well this summer. Emi Martinez and Ollie Watkins wanted to leave and Rogers had admirers among England’s wealthiest elite.

Yet no serious bid was forthcoming for any of those players – remarkable given the status of Watkins and Martinez, and the fact Rogers’ stock was so high. The most skilful sporting directors know when to sell as well as buy, and Villa have largely done well, bringing in about £130m for Jhon Duran, Jacob Ramsey and Jaden Philogene.

In the summer, though, only Ramsey was sold for a significant fee, and Villa needed further funds to chase targets like Asensio or Nicolas Jackson, a long-term Emery favourite. It is unclear how high the deadline-day loan signings, Harvey Elliott and Sancho, were on Emery’s list. This lack of financial wriggle room is sure to have irked Emery.

For most of the last two years, Emery, Monchi and director of football Damian Vidagany formed a tight trio running Villa. This season, Monchi had seemed a little more distant than before. Now we know why.

Who might come next?

Monchi was not Villa’s first choice for the football ‘president’ role.

They initially identified Mateu Alemany, the former Barcelona director of football, moving for Monchi only when Alemany opted not to take the job. Unlike Monchi, a former goalkeeper, Alemany has a background in law and finance.

Someone like Alemany would have been an asset during the era of PSR (the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules) and UEFA’s squad cost ratio rules. Monchi built his reputation through scouting, not spreadsheets. Co-owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens may look at candidates with financial as well as football expertise, in a time of such complex rules.

Yet in the short term, do not be surprised if Villa’s chief scout Alberto Benito assumes a little more responsibility.

Benito is one of Emery’s closest allies in football: they played together at Spanish club Toledo, and Benito was with Emery at Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. With the January window now three months away, Benito may be asked to step up.

There will also be yet more duties for director of football Vidagany, arguably the most powerful figure at Villa after Emery. Vidagany was front and centre during contract and transfer negotiations over the summer and is trusted absolutely by Emery.

The front-runner to be Monchi’s successor is Roberto Olabe, who is a free agent after leaving Real Sociedad at the end of last season and is close to Emery.

That relationship is highly revealing, as it firms up the manager’s power base.

What will be in the new man’s in-tray?

Villa’s on-pitch success under Emery has masked the occasionally wobbly moments off it. After such a poor start to the campaign, cracks have been exposed.

Nearly every successful club has a coherent transfer policy and this must be a focus for Villa. With Emery all-powerful, they have largely targeted players ready to perform instantly, and handed new contracts to all key men, increasing the wage bill significantly.

Yet it seems inevitable that Villa will have to sell a major asset next summer and this is the time to prepare.

Will they have data scouting to underpin their structure, as many clubs do? Will they look to sign more young players who can be part of the first-team squad immediately, rather than signing those who can be moved out on loan, and then sold to improve the financial position?

Right now Villa look like a club in a fix. Yet there should be plenty for a high-class sporting director to get his teeth into. Villa hoped Monchi would be that man. Whatever the next formula may be, a huge improvement is needed.