Christian Purslow has left his position of CEO as Aston Villa.
The 59-year-old has been in charge of the day-to-day running of the club for almost five years but is now stepping aside.
Villa are moving in a new direction with head coach Unai Emery and his team of close assistants taking charge of football matters alongside the owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens (NSWE).
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Chris Heck, the new president of business operations, will oversee all the important off-field matters including increasing revenue and globalising the Aston Villa brand, so Villa no longer need a CEO figure as the model has changed.
Purslow has been an influential figure at the club since he was hired by NSWE in August 2018, on the back of the takeover from Tony Xia.
His guidance helped Villa out of the Championship at the first attempt when Dean Smith was the manager. Purslow also played a part in helping Villa reestablish themselves as a Premier League club again.
Since Emery was hired in November, though, Purslow has not had as much control over the football decisions, with NSWE handing more of the power to Emery.
The manager and his off-field assistant Damian Vidagany have been busy plotting the way forward and will be supported by two new Spanish recruitment staff, Alberto Benito and Pablo Rodriguez, both of whom Emery has known for more than 20 years.
Villa are also keen to bring in Monchi, the Sevilla sporting director, to further strengthen the support team, after missing out on Barcelona’s Mateu Alemany.
The club later confirmed Purslow’s departure, with Edens and Sawiris thanking him for “outstanding leadership”.
They said: “He has overseen a transformation of the club both on and off the pitch, and delivered the ambitious turnaround plan he presented to us when he arrived in 2018. We are grateful for all he has done.”
Purslow said: “It has been a total privilege to lead Villa for the last five years. I am proud that I leave the club in a much better position on and off the pitch than when I arrived.”
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