Monchi has given Aston Villa supporters a rare look behind the curtain of his relationship with Unai Emery, revealing just how close the pair came to reuniting at Arsenal years before they linked up at Villa Park. The move very nearly went through.
The Monchi Unai Emery Arsenal deal that never happened sits at the heart of a wide-ranging interview, in which the sporting director explains why he pulled out and how it strained his friendship with Emery. He also explains why the manager he now works under is a different animal to the one he knew at Sevilla.
The Friction Behind Monchi’s Aborted Arsenal Move
After leaving Roma, Monchi was ready to follow Unai Emery into English football for the first time, with a move to Arsenal already taking shape. Speaking to Mucho Deporte, Monchi explained his Arsenal decision and described how far the move had progressed before he changed course.
“So, he left – no hard feelings – and we maintained our relationship. Once I had decided to leave Roma, Unai called me about going to Arsenal. I was on the verge of going. But amidst the whirlwind of exchanging contracts with Arsenal, Pepe Castro called me. Just as he had helped me leave for Roma because I asked him to, I couldn’t say no to that call,” Monchi said.
Castro’s call pulled Monchi back to Sevilla instead of the Emirates, and the sudden change of plan did not sit well with Emery at the time. The timing hurt them both.
“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 in Sevilla, even though those were four difficult, complicated years,” Monchi added.
How Sevilla Success Built the Emery-Monchi Alliance
The bond between the two men was forged long before that Arsenal near miss, during three years at Sevilla that brought three consecutive Europa League titles. Keeping Emery at the club was not always straightforward, and Monchi admitted he had to talk his manager out of leaving more than once.
“Every time the season ended [at Sevilla], there was an issue that Unai would get calls from various teams – Milan, Napoli – and in the end, we’d manage to steer him back on track,” Monchi said.
That same kind of trust between a sporting director and a head coach is something Villa have rebuilt more recently, a theme picked up in our coverage of Villa’s recent success. Eventually Emery did leave Sevilla, though not for a rival Monchi could talk him out of.
“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,” Emery told him.
Analysis of Emery’s Tactical Evolution at Villa Park
Monchi was clear that Emery kept coming back for him, summing up a working relationship spanning three clubs and more than a decade in one line. The same pattern kept repeating itself.
“He asked me to join him at PSG, then at Arsenal, and eventually, I did join him at Aston Villa. 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 said.
That reunion, the eventual payoff of the stalled Monchi Unai Emery Arsenal move, finally arrived in the Midlands when Emery took charge at Villa Park in 2023. He put the improvement down to an intense approach to preparation that borders on obsession.
“He is deeply inquisitive about football – obsessed with video analysis, imagery, and match preparation – and a coach who has almost always been successful,” Monchi said.
For a Villa side built on detailed game plans and close opposition scouting, that description will ring true to fans who have watched Emery work this way since 2023. It fits what supporters see.
What Monchi and Emery’s Dynamic Means for Villa’s Future
Looking back, the move that fell apart looks less like a missed opportunity and more like a detour that eventually led somewhere better for both men. The friction did not last. It did not stop Emery going back to Monchi twice more before they finally worked together in English football.
That history explains why the pairing carried so much weight when Emery arrived at Villa Park in 2023, and why Monchi’s endorsement of the manager matters. He’s not describing a stranger. He is describing a coach he has watched grow through Seville, Paris interest, London interest, and now Birmingham.
Villa supporters have continued to follow Monchi’s career since he left the club, including our report on a reported return to La Liga. Whatever comes next for him, his account of working with Emery gives Villa fans a clearer picture of the manager they have now. By Monchi’s own admission, it’s a considerable upgrade on the version he first worked with in Spain.
