Victor Orta (born 28 December 1978) is a football executive who is currently sporting director of Spanish top-flight club Sevilla.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 December 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Madrid, Spain | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 2005–2006 | Real Valladolid (sporting director) | ||
| 2013–2014 | Zenit (sporting director) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Elche (sporting director) | ||
| 2015–2017 | Middlesbrough (sporting director) | ||
| 2017–2023 | Leeds (director of football) | ||
| 2023– | Sevilla (sporting director) | ||
Early life
editOrta is a native of Madrid, Spain.[1]
Career
editMiddlesbrough
editOn 19 December 2015, Orta became sporting director of Middlesbrough in the second division. Orta was responsible for developing a transfer policy that brought in key players such as Gastón Ramírez, Víctor Valdés, Patrick Bamford, Adama Traoré, and Alvaro Negredo. Middlesbrough under Orta would gain immediate promotion to the top-flight Premier League, having finished in 2nd place in the EFL Championship.
Leeds United
editOn 30 May 2017, Orta was poached by English second division side Leeds United, as Director of Professional Football.[2] Orta would bring in an attacking, possession-based coach in the form of Argentine Marcelo Bielsa. He would gain promotion with Leeds to the Premier League in 2020, mirroring his prior spell at Middlesbrough, and in the first season back in the top-flight would finish in the top half of the table, whilst adopting a gung-ho, high-pressing style of play, unusual of a newly promoted side.
The following season would be less successful, and after a string of poor results Orta would dispense of Bielsa's services in February 2022. Orta chose American head coach Jesse Marsch, formerly of RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg, to steady the ship. Leeds were able to stay in the top flight for another season after finishing in 17th, having been in the relegation zone right up to the final game, a 1-2 away win over Brentford. Orta parted ways with Leeds United on 2 May 2023.
Sevilla
editOn 1 July 2023, Orta was appointed as sporting director of Spanish top-flight club Sevilla. In Orta's first season at the club, he replaced existing head coach José Luis Mendilibar with Diego Alonso, a Uruguayan who had previously been in charge of the Uruguay national team, as well as an ill-fated spell as Inter Miami's inaugural head coach. Alonso however would only last two months and 14 games at Sevilla, owing to a record of seven losses, five draws, and just two wins. Orta then opted to replace Alonso with fellow Madrid native Quique Sánchez Flores. After winning his first match in charge of the club 3-0 away to Andalusian rivals Granada, Quique Flores would see out the rest of the season for Sevilla and the club would finish 14th in the league, its worst placing since gaining promotion to the top-flight in the 2000-01 season.
Quique Flores decided to part ways with Sevilla at the end of the 2023-24 season, and Orta would again be tasked with finding a new manager for the club. Orta next turned to Francisco García Pimienta, a Catalan formerly of Las Palmas and Barcelona Atlètic. Orta oversaw an overhaul of the club squad in Summer 2024, with high-profile exits such as Thomas Delaney, Erik Lamela, Sergio Ramos, Adnan Januzaj, Óscar, and Youssef En-Nesyri being replaced by the likes of Chidera Ejuke, Peque, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Saúl, and Kelechi Iheanacho.
Personal life
editOrta has a son.[3]