Monchi reveals ‘complicated’ Unai Emery talks that led to Aston Villa exit
Monchi has opened up on the reasoning behind his decision to leave Aston Villa following this summer’s transfer window.
The former Villa Park chief was forced to work under difficult circumstances in recent months, as the B6 outfit’s PSR concerns heavily dictated the business that they were able to conduct.
Monchi left Aston Villa in September, having overseen a window that was filled with complications from start to finish.
The 57-year-old is a long-term ally of Unai Emery, and he has now revealed the discussion between them which resulted in the decision being made for him to step down from his role.
Monchi bemoans ‘complicated’ summer at Aston Villa
Monchi spent just over two years at Aston Villa and occupied a role as the club’s President of Football Operations.
The Villans have made drastic progress as a club in recent years, but their upward curve was heavily stunted by the implications of their financial standing during the recent transfer window.
They were severely limited in terms of their ability to add new faces to the squad, and ended the window with just five new signings, with three of them coming on deadline day.
With the dust now settled following Monchi’s exit, the Spanish chief has shed light on the reasoning behind his decision to leave, as well as some of the difficulties that came with the recruitment this summer.
“It’s been a complicated summer,” Monchi told Spanish outlet Eldes Marque.
“A difficult summer, where we’ve had to be very imaginative when planning due to many circumstances.
“After two very successful years, both financially and sportingly, I think all parties saw that the next steps perhaps needed a little more strength. I was already a little short.
“We had a very friendly conversation with two people who had known each other many years ago, both Unai and I. And then with the ownership, we felt it was time.”
Monchi failed too often at Villa Park
The situation surrounding Harvey Elliott’s arrival at Aston Villa was perhaps a foreshadowing of Monchi’s exit, given the disagreement that took place between him and Emery.
The duo have worked together on several occasions over the years, but didn’t see eye to eye in that moment, with the manager preferring the club to instead pursue a deal for Lucas Paqueta.
| Player | Fee | |
| 1 | Amadou Onana | £51m |
| 2 | Moussa Diaby | £47m |
| 3 | Ian Maatsen | £38m |
| 4 | Pau Torres | £28m |
| 5 | Evann Guessand | £26m |
Elliott was a statement signing for the Villans, but he is yet to truly show what he can do at the second city outfit, and is shaping up to perhaps be another failure from Monchi in the transfer market.
He has had moments of eye-catching success, such as the deal to bring Morgan Rogers in from Middlesbrough, but they have been few and far between in reality.
Expensive deals for the likes of Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen have not delivered the expected results, and that ultimately had a huge effect on their PSR situation later down the line.
Villa’s difficult summer may have been a major contributor to Monchi’s exit, but it was a situation that was largely brought on by himself due to his decisions across his stint at the helm.
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