In 2023, Aston Villa brought “himself” sporting director Monchi to Birmingham. The Spaniard is considered to be one of the best on the market, although it has come with “noise”, where Monchi has ploughed his way at Sevilla (ten trophies) and Roma. The results at Villa were not lacking, but have taken a nosedive this season after a horribly weak start to the season. This has immediate consequences.
Monchi – full name Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo – was hired as the club’s “president of football operations”. He has been a key ally of coach Unai Emery, as Villa qualified for the Champions League in 2024 and then reached the quarter-finals of the tournament last season.
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Nevertheless, Villa’s results in the market are mixed during Monchi’s tenure. They have sold well and secured around £130m for Jhon Duran, Jacob Ramsey and Jaden Philogene, but they have spent a lot of money on players like Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and Donyell Malen, and none of them have established themselves as regular players in the first team.
This summer, Villa was “hampered” by rules for sustainable and profitable club operations, with only two permanent signings. Evann Guessand and Marco Bizot. plus free agent Victor Lindelof – at a cost of around £30 million. It is also part of the story that Monchi brought in Jadon Sancho on loan from Man United three weeks ago, so far there have been 82 minutes at the match venue.
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According to The Athletic and The Guardian, Monchi is now being “axed” and disappearing from the club, five league games into the season.
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