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Aston Villa backed to complete big-name signings amid Monchi development at Villa Park
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton is excited by the arrival of Monchi as Aston Villa’s new president of football operations, hoping to see the Spaniard welcome some big-name players to B6.
Unai Emery worked alongside 54-year-old Monchi at Sevilla, where they won the Europa League three times together.
Monchi’s work at Sevilla is unparalleled and dates back to 2000 when he first landed the director of football job there and helped bring through the likes of Jose Antonio Reyes, Jesus Navas and Sergio Ramos.
Sevilla are one of the most successful teams in European football this millennium and Hutton cannot wait to see what the Spaniard does alongside Emery at Villa Park.
Speaking to Villa News, Hutton said: “He’s got a good pedigree.
“He worked with Emery at Sevilla and they’ll have a good understanding of each other and what targets they’re looking for.
“That relationship is key. If you’re on the same page, you can do great things as they did at Sevilla.
“That’s something Villa will be looking to match moving forward; can they sustain the position of being in Europe and then really go and challenge?
“It’s a good signing and it’ll be interesting to see who some of his targets are. You see some big names coming up. Are they capable of getting them over the line?”
Villa have already got a deal lined up to sign Youri Tielemans on a free transfer on 1 July when his contract at Leicester expires.
There have been some Spanish players linked with moves to Villa Park with Villarreal defender Pau Torres and Athletic Bilbao attacker Nico Williams among them.
In other Aston Villa news, a release clause for Ollie Watkins has been mooted amid contract talks at Villa Park.