Speaking to the Spanish media this week, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery talked about the arrival of Monchi to the club this summer.
In charge of the Villa Park side since November 2022, the coach had already been doing a good job at the club when he saw his director at Sevilla leave the La Liga side.
Quoted by Estadio Deportivo, Emery recalled the time when the idea of Monchi to Aston Villa got serious.
“Monchi is football with experience, with knowledge, with victories rather than defeats, with winning experience at European level, with experience also in Italy, and for him to open up to England I think is also to export himself and try to bring to England everything he has experienced and consolidated at Sevilla FC.
“For us, for me, for the club, when we talked about the possibility of bringing in Monchi, everything was from the point of view of contributing many positive things.”
Before announcing Monchi’s arrival, Aston Villa had been ready to welcome Mateu Alemany at the club. The deal for the former Barcelona director ended up collapsing, though, and Emery now insists he’d have been happy to work with either of them.
“They are two people with a long track record, from sports management, very recognised, each in their own way and with their own style. Right now Monchi is clearly the person we trust, the person we are joining for this project, and I had three and a half years of total connection with him at Sevilla FC, of great complicity.
“With Mateu Alemany I had to do it, with Monchi I have earned it. I have lived with him for three and a half years, from professional experiences and very nice experiences, including personal ones. With Mateu Alemany we wanted to build something that with Monchi we are now also building, and on top of that I had something to gain.”
In Monchi’s first summer at Aston Villa, the club spent €93m on new signings, with the arrivals of Moussa Diaby and Pau Torres on permanent deals and the fee for Nicolo Zaniolo’s loan. There was also Youri Tieleman’s free move from Leicester City and Clement Lenglet’s loan from Barcelona.
The Villans currently stand 5th in the Premier League.
