Monchi has revealed how Unai Emery eventually convinced him to join Aston Villa, despite previously turning down the chance to work with the Spaniard at both Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
Mucho Deporte have covered comments from the sporting director, who is now working at Espanyol, about his long-standing relationship with the Aston Villa manager.
Monchi is set to attend the Antonio Puerta Trophy match on October 2, with Aston Villa the opponents for this year’s fixture.
It will mark Emery’s first return to his former club, where he enjoyed a highly successful spell working alongside Monchi. Their partnership played a major role in one of the most successful periods in Sevilla’s recent history.
The pair eventually reunited at Aston Villa after years of Emery attempting to convince Monchi to join him at whichever club he was managing.
“Once I had decided to leave Roma, Unai called me about going to Arsenal,” Monchi explained.
“I was on the verge of going. But in the middle of the whirlwind of exchanging contracts with Arsenal, Pepe Castro called me. Just as he had helped me leave for Roma because I had asked him to, I couldn’t say no to that call.
“It caused a bit of friction with Unai because he was very excited, as was I, about me going to Arsenal, but I came to Sevilla instead. I am incredibly grateful for that second spell and that opportunity at Sevilla, even though those were four difficult and complicated years.”
The PSG Call
Emery’s attempts to bring Monchi with him were certainly not limited to Arsenal. When he left Sevilla for PSG in 2016, similar discussions took place between the pair.
“Every time the season ended, it was an issue. Unai would receive calls from various teams – Milan, Napoli – and in the end, we’d manage to steer him back on track,” Monchi explained.
“Then, during that particular season – and I mention this because we’ve discussed it often – rumours about PSG started circulating.
“He didn’t pick up at first, but eventually, he did. He told me: ‘Look, Monchi, I couldn’t tell you anything because PSG told me they were working on terminating Laurent Blanc’s contract. They couldn’t say a word because it involved a huge sum of money and they had to negotiate it, so I couldn’t tell you anything. But yes, I’ve received an offer from PSG, and I’m going.’
“So, he left – no hard feelings – and we maintained our relationship. Later, he asked me to join him at PSG, then at Arsenal, and eventually, I did join him at Aston Villa.”
A Different Emery
The pair eventually reunited at Aston Villa, where they enjoyed two successful years together before Monchi decided to return to Spain.
By that point, however, Monchi felt the Emery he knew in Birmingham was a very different version of the manager he had worked with at Sevilla.
“The Unai I know from Sevilla is nothing like the Unai I’ve come to know in Birmingham; he is a much better Unai because he is someone who is always striving to improve,” Monchi concluded.
“He is deeply inquisitive about football – obsessed with video analysis, imagery and match preparation – and a coach who has almost always been successful.”
