“Feels it, lives it, loves it” – Vidagany on why Nassef Sawiris is crucial for Aston Villa growth

Aston Villa director Damian Vidagany has heaped praise on owner Nassef Sawiris for his direct involvement in the Premier League side’s activities. 

The Egyptian billionaire, along with Wes Edens and American investment firm Atairos, set up a holding company V Sports. They own Aston Villa and have minority stakes at Vitória de Guimarães, Real Unión and FC Annecy.

V Sports initially became Aston Villa’s majority owner in July 2018 before completing the full purchase in August 2019. Unai Emery has been in charge for the majority of their era as owners.

Sawiris’ role at Aston Villa

Nassef Sawiris is also the Villa chairman, and Damian Vidagany and sporting director Roberto Olabe report to him and the two other owners.

Barcelona will host Aston Villa in the Champions League later today, and Tuesday’s edition of AS have published Vidagany’s interview.

Earlier today, the director of operations explained Unai Emery’s role in bringing Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough in 2024.

Vidagany and the coach previously worked together at Valencia. The Spanish newspaper asks the former to explain the difference in ownership between Los Ches and Aston Villa, and who he reports to daily.

He said: “The structure is quite simple. Olabe and I manage and report to the three owners. But one of them, Nassef Sawiris, who lives between New York and Milan, is the chairman, and we speak with him daily.”

“The structure is very different from Valencia’s. I wasn’t with Peter Lim for very long, but I can say the owner is inaccessible to this day. He doesn’t interact, he doesn’t experience the club. He doesn’t feel it, and he doesn’t understand it. Our owner understands it, feels it, lives it, and loves it.”

Emery’s impact in Birmingham 

Damian Vidagany says Unai Emery is a hero for the Premier League side and their supporters.

“Aston Villa is a club similar to Valencia. From an important region, the Midlands, hit hard by the industrial crisis and with economic problems for decades. And the club has been a symbol in the city. A founding member of the Premier League, a source of pride for its people,” Vidagany explained.

“And due to mismanagement, including years with a Chinese owner, they were relegated to the second division and endured difficult times until the arrival of new owners, the current ones.”

“It has survived thanks to the love of its people, the unwavering support of its fans who have never abandoned it and have filled the stadium whether in the second division or the Champions League. That level of loyalty and love that the Birmingham community has for Aston Villa makes you empathise, and that’s why Unai is who he is there. He’s a hero, almost a deity.”

Avoid Arsenal mistakes at Aston Villa

Unai Emery took charge of the Villans in November 2022, and Damian Vidagany followed him in July 2023.

Emery returned to England after a disappointing spell at Arsenal between July 2018 and November 2019.

Mundo Deportivo also interviewed the director, who talks about the manager’s poor spell at Arsenal. Emery wanted him to fix the issues he faced at the Emirates, at Aston Villa.

“He asked me to help him with everything that falls outside his managerial role,” he added.

“Having had the experience at Arsenal, where he felt somewhat isolated and disconnected from the club’s ownership, he asked me to structure the non-technical aspects of the football operations, establishing a protocol for the relationship with the club’s ownership.”

“It’s going very well because we have an excellent relationship and a superb sporting director like Roberto Olabe. We feel we’ve reached the level of structure that Unai desired before going to England. It’s a source of pride because he can express himself as a coach, making the technical decisions he considers unique, as one of the best in the world, which he is.”