Aston Villa have agreed terms with Monchi to become their sporting director after confirming the departure of the chief executive Christian Purslow. Monchi is poised to join from Sevilla, where he and Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, worked together.
Purslow had been in charge of the day-to-day running of Villa for almost five years but has left as part of a restructuring. The club want Monchi to work closely with Emery, who was keen on reuniting with his fellow Spaniard after Barcelona’s Mateu Alemany rejected a move to Villa Park. It is thought Monchi, the Sevilla sporting director, has a release clause of about £1.7m.
Emery has been given great freedom to reshape Villa after leading the club into Europe for the first time in 13 years despite succeeding Steven Gerrard last November amid relegation concerns.
Monchi has been asked to take care of the football business operations, in conjunction with Emery. Last month Villa announced the arrival of Chris Heck as president of business operations. Alberto Benito and Pablo Rodríguez have also recently been appointed to Villa’s recruitment staff. It is thought Purslow, who worked in executive positions at Chelsea and Liverpool, declined the chance to stay in a different role.
In a club statement Villa’s owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, paid tribute to the 59-year-old for his role in overseeing “a transformation of the club both on and off the pitch”. Purslow said: “It has been a total privilege to lead Villa for the last five years. I am proud that I leave the club in a much better position on and off the pitch than when I arrived.”
Villa are determined to strengthen, with Emery keen to add a full-back, a winger and a striker. On Saturday Villa announced the signing of Youri Tielemans on a free after the Belgium midfielder exited Leicester City. Tielemans’s former Leicester teammate Harvey Barnes is also thought to be among those of interest to Villa, who are set to reward John McGinn and Ollie Watkins with new contracts.
