Aston Villa sporting director Johan Lange is battling to keep hold of his job, according to a significant off-field update from Villa Park.

The Lowdown: Lange in key role at Villa

The 43-year-old became Villa's new sporting director back in 2020, having previously been the technical director in his homeland at FC Copenhagen.

Over the past two years, Lange has been a key figure at the club, helping bring in some big name new signings and working alongside managers Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard.

Unai Emery is now in charge at Villa Park though, and it could be that a major change is happening behind the scenes ahead of the Spaniard's first transfer window.

The Latest: Job under threat

According to Football Insider, Lange's job is hanging by a thread currently, with 'question marks' surrounding the work he has done in the transfer market.

Villa owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are thought to be 'assessing' his position, with a replacement potentially being eyed up at the same time.

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The Verdict: Time for a change?

Jobs in football often come in cycles, whether it be players, managers or high-profile off-field roles, and it could be that a change is required with regard to Lange.

His work in the transfer market has arguably been hit-and-miss - the Philippe Coutinho gamble hasn't really worked, for example, while Matty Cash is his only major success story - and some fresh ideas to work alongside Emery could make sense.

Cash is actually mentioned in the report as the only 'unqualified success' during Lange's tenure, and perhaps Emery had a specific appointment for the role in mind when he agreed to take the job.