- Aston Villa’s former president of football operations Monchi is close to joining La Liga side Espanyol
- He departed Villa in September 2025
Aston Villa’s former president of football operations, Monchi, is close to joining Espanyol as head of football.
The 57-year-old departed Villa at the end of last summer’s transfer window after a disappointing start to the Premier League and criticism over the club’s transfer strategy.
Monchi first joined the Villans in 2023. He was specifically brought in by Unai Emery, having previously worked together at Sevilla. At Villa, he worked alongside the director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, and, of course, Emery. The trio formed a “triangle of power” and shared an extremely close relationship.
Despite having considerable autonomy at Sevilla and being regarded as the one in charge, at Villa, Monchi was tasked with facilitating Emery’s wishes. This meant that, whilst he would provide him with a list of options, whatever Emery decided or wanted, he had to execute it.
He played a key role in Villa’s meteoric rise into the Champions League even though he faced a persistent battle with the financial rules.
However, after a disappointing start to the season, and a transfer window where Villa stagnated, Monchi departed in September 2025.
Now, according to The Athletic, he is set to return to his native Spain to join La Liga side Espanyol. They returned to the Spanish top flight in 2024, and currently sit in 13th place.
What went wrong at Villa?
Last summer felt like the time to refresh some of the squad. Players were getting older, and some were at their peak values, which Villa could have cashed in on. But after missing out on Champions League qualification on the final day of the 2024/25 season, Villa were drastically hamstrung by what they could do in the transfer market.
In spite of this, Jacob Ramsey was sold to Newcastle United for £40 million. Given that he is an academy product and a local boy, the sale hurt the supporters and the players. It was a good offer that felt too good to turn down, but regardless, it dampened the mood for the summer.
Villa failed to replace him and could only spend a large sum on one player. That was Evann Guessand, who was bought from Nice for £30 million. It was quickly established that he was not at the level to compete in the Premier League, but Villa had no wiggle room to bring in that extra quality.
When it came to deadline day, Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott joined on loan. Villa were desperate to sign some more attackers, yet these struck the supporters as panic buys.
Therefore, the beginning of the season had a gloomy feel around the club. With the shocking start to the season, where they were winless and goalless in their first five games, a change was needed.
That brought Monchi into the firing line, and it was agreed that he would part ways with Emery. Roberto Olabe replaced him, bringing a reputation for prioritising the signing of younger players.
ReadAstonVilla verdict
Overall, Monchi’s time at Villa will be looked back on with fond memories. He was a vital figure in the transformation and success of the club. At the time of his departure, there was a need for an alteration somewhere among the players and staff. It just happened to be him who was the fall guy.
