---
title: "Aston Villa: Richard O’Kelly exit explained"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/aston-villa-richard-okelly-exit-explained/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Charlie Smith"
section: "Aston Villa"
published: "2021-08-19T18:10:03Z"
modified: "2021-08-19T18:10:03Z"
---

# Aston Villa: Richard O’Kelly exit explained

**[Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/revealed-okelly-quit-aston-villa-after-being-demoted-to-youth-team/) have shared the real reason why Richard O’Kelly has left his role at Aston Villa.**

### The Lowdown: Club announcement

Villa, who have already [lost](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jul/26/john-terry-leaves-aston-villa-to-focus-on-becoming-a-manager) John Terry this summer, [confirmed](https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2021/august/Richard-O-Kelly-departs-Aston-Villa/) last week that O’Kelly left his position as Aston Villa assistant manager.

The 64-year-old, hailed as an [‘unsung hero’](https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-news-richard-okelly-20195633), departed just days before Villa’s Premier League opener, with no real reason as to why he parted ways with the club.

Dean Smith was [coy](https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/richard-okelly-aston-villa-smith-21301871) when quizzed on the announcement, with Villa now expected to appoint a [new](https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/richard-okelly-aston-villa-smith-21301871) assistant to work alongside Smith and Craig Shakespeare with interviews ongoing.

\[freshpress-poll id=”360431″\]

### The Latest: Source shares insight

[Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/revealed-okelly-quit-aston-villa-after-being-demoted-to-youth-team/) shared a story on Wednesday after being informed by an Aston Villa source.

They revealed that O’Kelly quit after the club tried to demote him to coaching Villa’s Under-23 side.

O’Kelly had no intentions to depart Bodymoor Heath prior to Villa’s U23 plans and offered his resignation after learning the news.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”368552″\]\[freshpress-quiz id=”368552″\]

### The Verdict: Strange

With Terry leaving earlier in the summer, you’d have thought that Smith would have relied on O’Kelly, who he has worked with for [ten](https://www.footballinsider247.com/revealed-okelly-quit-aston-villa-after-being-demoted-to-youth-team/) years, even more during the upcoming campaign.

That was obviously not the case, going off the latest [report](https://www.footballinsider247.com/revealed-okelly-quit-aston-villa-after-being-demoted-to-youth-team/), so it’ll be interesting to see who the club bring in to replace O’Kelly – if they were planning to demote him, perhaps they already had an alternative for the first-team lined up?

Villa have already added a set-piece coach in [Austin MacPhee](https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/aston-villa/2021/08/04/villa-appoint-austin-macphee-as-dedicated-set-piece-coach/) this summer and it appears as if another backroom staff addition will materialise soon.

[***In other news: ‘We’ll win the league’ – Lots of AVFC fans flock to Ward-Prowse update.***](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/aston-villa-transfer-rumours/aston-villa-fans-react-to-james-ward-prowse-update-2/)