Aston Villa's president of football operations, Monchi, is set to leave the club to rejoin Sevilla, dealing a fresh blow to manager Unai Emery. Monchi joined Villa just over two years ago, reuniting with Emery after a spell at Roma.
The 55-year-old is understood to have been keen to return to Spain for some time, but his departure will be a significant loss for Emery, with whom he enjoyed great success at Sevilla. Villa have made a winless start to the season, managing just one league goal across three draws and two defeats.
Monchi's role at Villa involved overseeing recruitment, working closely with Emery and director of football operations Damian Vidagany since his arrival in July 2023. However, the club has found the transfer market challenging due to financial regulations imposed by the Premier League and Uefa; in July, Villa were fined £9.5m by European football's governing body for breaching rules.
Emery won three consecutive Europa League titles with Sevilla from 2014, and a fourth with Villarreal in 2021. He now prepares to lead Villa in their first Europa League campaign under his stewardship, beginning with a match against Bologna on Thursday.
