Aston Villa director of football Monchi has admitted they needed to sell in the summer transfer window to help balance the books, and that could have seen Jhon Duran go.
Tuttomercatoweb cover comments from the director today after he sat down for a conversation with Sky Sports in Italy.
The 56-year-old has been in charge of matter at Aston Villa since July 2023 when he elected to leave Sevilla for a role as Managing Director of Professional Football at Villa Park.
He’s been working his magic ever since, helping the club to build on the solid foundations laid down by Unai Emery and turn the club into genuine top six contenders.
They finished in the top four last season and qualified for the Champions League, where they have already beaten Bayern Munich this season.
That result came thanks to a superb solo goal from striker Jhon Duran, who has six goals in ten games in all competitions this season despite only being a substitute under Emery so far.
The Colombian has been one of the stars of the season and was a key figure in the summer, after seemingly pushing for a move away from the club before being convinced to stay and fight for his place.
“We have two very strong strikers, him and Watkins,” he said.
“Duran wanted to play more minutes, and we needed to sell a player due to FFP, but without an important offer we were convinced he would stay here.
“Emery has a lot of faith in him: some offers have arrived, there were meetings, but the amount we asked for did not arrive.”
While players on the pitch have established themselves as rising heroes, it is undoubtedly Emery who is the key player at Aston Villa these days.
The Spanish boss has proven to be an inspired appointment since arriving in November 2022 to replace Steven Gerrard.
It’s been nothing but upwards since that point, with Aston Villa qualifying for Europe twice, the Champions League last season, and growing considerably as a club.
His appointment is seen as the catalyst and Monchi admits he’s been working a miracle since his arrival at the club.
“Something has changed in the last two years after his arrival,” he added.
“At that time the team was in difficulty and now we are fighting with the strongest clubs, our coach has done something good. He is the true protagonist of this miracle.
“He is very demanding; he is the first to arrive at the sports centre and the last to leave. He works a lot, but he also manages the off-field activities very well: his work in the locker room, with the group, is also very important.”
