Real Unión president Igor Emery has revealed the major benefits his club will get from a relationship with Aston Villa, and why they decided to form it in the first place.
The president has been speaking at a Shareholders’ Meeting for the Spanish club after they broke a partnership agreement with Real Sociedad to instead link up with Aston Villa, the club managed by brother Unai Emery.
The Spanish side had been partnered with Real Sociedad for several years in an agreement that saw the two sides share data as well as players, with Sociedad youngsters often moving to their lower league counterparts to gain experience.
However, the decision was made to break that agreement earlier this year in favour of forming a new one with Aston Villa.
The collaboration will see them share data on performance, scouting and recruitment, data analysis and squad management as the Spanish side look to grow and potentially make their way up the league system in Spain.
And now Igor Emery has explained why the decision was made, and the benefits that will be coming their way from Aston Villa in the near future.
“We understood that we had to change the existing model based on the relationship with Real Sociedad,” he said.
“That analysis coincided with the opportunity to join a club like Aston Villa and its group, led by Unai Emery. An agreement that will give us a greater boost to consolidate our project and take steps towards professionalisation.
“We are in a moment of model change, of strategic reflection after two seasons in which we have been able to see, live and suffer how Real Unión was at all levels.
“In our stabilisation and professionalisation process we were clear that we had to say ‘We have come this far. Either we change the management model radically, or we are going to hell.”
