Real Sociedad have constructed their most stable and successful era in the 21st century on three pillars; President Jokin Aperribay, Sporting Director Roberto Olabe and manager Imanol Alguacil. They are set to lose Olabe at the end of the season, having communicated his decision to leave the club.
Olabe has a contract until the end of the 2026 season, but The Athletic, amongst multiple sources, say that he has already informed Aperribay that he will not continue beyond next summer. He feels his work at the club is complete, and wanted to give the Txuri-Urdin plenty of time to find a replacement for him.
🚨#RealSociedad Sporting Director Roberto Olabe will leave at the end of this season. pic.twitter.com/KiTr7dBDBn
— Football España (@footballespana_) November 13, 2024
Central to La Real’s incredible run of qualifying for Europe in every full season under Alguacil, Olabe’s stewardship has also seen them win a Copa del Rey and reach the Champions League after a decade-long absence. It will be a significant loss for La Real, and it is not yet clear how they will proceed without him.
It will not go unnoticed that a vacancy at Arsenal has just appeared for the same position in the last month. Olabe is more than familiar with the Gunners, having done deals for Natxo Monreal, Mikel Merino and Kieran Tierney in the recent past, while manager Mikel Arteta also came through at Real Sociedad. Previously, Olabe has been in the frame for positions at Real Madrid and Aston Villa.
