Sevilla chief Monchi has hailed his counterparts at Leeds United and Manchester City, hinting their work is changing perceptions about the Director of Football role in England.
Monchi is known throughout football as one of the smartest operators in the business, having enjoyed success with Sevilla across two periods with the club.
He’s currently in his second spell with them and has been working his magic again, with several low-cost signings during his reign, having established themselves as stars and now touted for big-money moves across Europe.
His success is something that numerous clubs around the continent are desperate to copy as they look to bridge the gap with the big teams.
That is particularly the case at the likes of Leeds, where Victor Orta has had to work hard to sign the right quality of players for Marcelo Bielsa on a strict budget
That’s not quite the case at Manchester City, where Txiki Begiristain has almost unlimited funds but still works closely with Pep Guardiola to source the correct signings.
Their efforts are clearly paying off, and Monchi believes they are changing perceptions about the role as a result.
“I think the sporting director has a future, for example, in England,” Estadio Deportivo report him saying.
“At the beginning, it wasn’t something they were very keen on, but thanks to Txiki Beguiristain at Manchester City or Víctor Orta at Leeds United, they now have this figure.
“It’s a strategic position. He manages the most important asset: the first team and the youth academy.
“That asset takes the lion’s share of the budget. Seventy or eighty per cent of the first team’s spending goes to the squad.”
