Roberto Olabe’s project clear to see as Aston Villa line up new signing after Brian Madjo agreement
Roberto Olabe is setting up Aston Villa for long-term success.
Monchi delivered a disastrous summer transfer window and jumped ship as soon as things got tough.
Thankfully for the Villans, Unai Emery has turned things around at Villa Park, after a poor start to the season, with the club now as high as third in the Premier League.
Olabe joined Aston Villa following Monchi’s departure, and is now overseeing his first transfer window at B6.
Villa are closing in on a deal to sign Brian Madjo from Metz in a £10.4million agreement that would see him become the Premier League’s most expensive 16-year-old, if concluded before his birthday on Monday.
But Olabe won’t stop there, as Aston Villa are on the lookout for more young stars.
Aston Villa track American gem Zavier Gozo
NSWE will be restricted to what they spend due to Profit and Sustainability Rules that have hovered over Villa Park for the past few seasons.
One way to overcome that is by making a profit on sales, and Olabe has set the vision for a future cycle that will see Villa become a much more stable club.
Madjo will be an exciting signing, but Villa’s president of football operations has his sights set on another young prospect who could financially benefit the Villans in the future.
According to journalist Matteo Moretto on X, Aston Villa have shown interest in signing Zavier Gozo from MLS side Real Salt Lake City.
The 18-year-old could be headed to Villa Park in January, but many supporters will have never heard of Gozo’s name before.
Who is Gozo and what can he bring to Aston Villa?
Olabe’s project seems to achieve two objectives at once, as not only are the PSR issues coming into concern, but also the quality of players that Emery has available.
While the potential sales of developed youngsters is a possibility, there’s no reason why the likes of Madjo and Gozo can’t become regular starters for the Villa boss in the near future.
Zavier Gozo factfile:
- He is a right-winger
- Gozo can play anywhere across the front like
- The American played 26 times in the 2025 MLS season
- Gozo picked up seven goal contributions
Gozo is also a regular for the USA’s under-20’s side, and has proved to create and score goals on an international level.
Olabe is pulling the strings this window, and it would be no surprise to see more fresh talent linked with Villa after Madjo and Gozo.
Stay up to date this winter with our Aston Villa transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at Villa Park, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.