Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has ‘put himself at the head’ of the operation to hire Sevilla chief Monchi as their new director of football as they look to beat Tottenham to him.
That’s according to Marca, who say it is the Aston Villa manager who is spearheading the push to hire his former colleague at Villa Park.
They report that Aston Villa have ‘expressed an interest’ in hiring Monchi this summer after they missed out on Mateu Alemany last month.
This expression of interest is the start of their effort to hire the director of football, who has been recommended by Emery personally as he is the one heading up the charge.
The newspaper reports that Villa have been given hope of getting a deal over the line as, despite winning the Europa League last week, Monchi is living through a ‘complicated moment’ with Sevilla.
His relationship with those in charge at the club has become strained and that is leading him towards a departure from the club.
He is seen as a ‘more than interesting profile’ by clubs in the Premier League and Aston Villa would be more than happy for him to reunite with Emery to build a ‘champion squad’.
Tottenham have also thought about building their own project around a figure such as Monchi but the emergence of Emery and Aston Villa into the race means their interest is now on the backburner.
Emery is keen to surround himself with people he ‘trusts’ as he attempts to break into the Premier League’s top six and Monchi certainly falls into that category following their years working together at Sevilla.
Villa are willing to offer him a ‘significant budget’ to work with and hope that can lure him from Sevilla, where money is tight, and keep him out of the hands of Tottenham in one move.
