Why Matty Cash will suffer the most as Aston Villa confirm Pako Ayestaran exit

Aston Villa star Matty Cash could be fearing for the worst after the departure of Pako Ayestaran.

The assistant boss has departed Villa Park as part of changes to Unai Emery's coaching staff in B6.

He has been described as "hugely popular" by the Villans as his departure looks set to have an impact at Villa Park.

Jose Maria Sanz has come in as his replacement, but will have some way to go to fill the void left by the Spaniard's exit.

He is seen as the beating heart of everything that happens at Bodymoor Heath alongside the Villa boss.

That could prompt imminent issues for Cash despite coming off the back of arguably his best campaign in claret and blue.

What did Pako Ayestaran do for Aston Villa?

The 63-year-old has certainly flown under the radar of many fans despite joining the Villans in 2022.

He acted as assistant coach for Emery and even took charge of the first-team in January 2025, when his fellow countryman served a touchline ban against West Ham.

The Villans may have drawn that day, but that shouldn't distract from the work Ayestaran put in.

Peter Crouch described his work at Liverpool as "absolutely incredible" on the Peter Crouch Podcast in 2023, in a sentiment that has only been echoed at Bodymoor Heath.

The Spaniard is famed for his work on the training ground and the way he enforces tactics with his keen eye for detail.

That has massively helped Villa's shape and was a key role behind the famed offside trap that was particularly effective in Emery's first two seasons in charge.

He also supports his players with opposition reports that allow each player to adapt their game to who they are facing.

All that has played a key role in helping the claret and blue outfit to becoming a regular in European competition.

His work defensively has helped many players, but maybe none more so than Cash after such an excellent campaign last time around.

The Poland international was arguably Villa's Player of the Year, despite some negative reviews building just over a year ago.

It feels as if Ayestaran's methods have helped the right-back, so his departure could cause a bit of a stir.

How will Matty Cash be impacted by Ayestaran's exit?

Losing someone with an eye for the finer details could prove to be a blow, especially after four years in the role.

Emery is unlikely to change his approach as he has remained firm on that, even when things haven't been going well in B6.

Despite that, Cash may feel nervous that his performance level could drop off without Ayestaran in his corner.

His goal involvements boosted from two in 2024/25 to seven in 2025/26, while his defensive qualities were also on show.

The 28-year-old put up 186 defensive actions in the Premier League, which is clear of the 145 he managed the year before.

That number was only lower beforehand with 138 in 2023/24 and 123 in 2022/23.

There is clear evidence there of the defensive improvement that the coaching staff have brought to the right-back, with Ayestaran likely to have played a key role in that.

The hope will be that Cash won't fall into his old tricks without the Spaniard, but it will take some getting used to for the defender.