In the last match of Espanyol, against Real Madrid, Monchi was at the stadium next to the president of the Catalan club, Alan Pace. The match ended 2-0 in favor of the “Blancos”, with a brace from Vinicius Junior, but the Spanish newspapers focused mainly on the presence of the former sporting director of Roma. Thanks to Pace’s insistence, he is reportedly being convinced to start a new adventure as manager of the sports area. According to Diário AS, the parties are also close to an agreement, with the inclusion in Monchi’s staff of two or three of his trusted collaborators. There is one condition, however: to accept the offer, Monchi demands that Espanyol avoid relegation to Segunda División (the Spanish Serie B).
At the moment, the Catalan team is 13th in the standings, but cannot feel safe: the third-to-last place, occupied by Deportivo Alavés, is only three points away. Moreover, the standings in the lower zone of La Liga this season are very tight: between the penultimate Levante and Espanyol, there are only six points and five teams. Among these are several fallen giants, including Sevilla – who today have only one point advantage over the relegation zone. Ironically, the next round of La Liga will see the relegation battle between Espanyol and Sevilla. A match within a match for Monchi, who experienced the best years of his career in Andalusia: he worked as sporting director at Sánchez Pizjuan between 2000 and 2017 and then again between 2019 and 2023, winning a total of eleven trophies (seven Europa Leagues, two Copa del Rey, one UEFA Super Cup, and one Supercopa de España).
After his second stint at Sevilla, following his experience in Rome, Monchi held the role of President of Football Operations at Aston Villa for just over two seasons. Under his guidance, the Villans achieved a historic qualification for the Champions League, the first in over 40 years, and reached the quarter-finals; they also played in a Conference League semi-final. Meanwhile, last summer, Monchi himself founded CD San Fernando 1940, the team from his hometown, re-established from scratch after the dissolution of San Fernando CD. Monchi’s goal, which also involves Renè Ramos (the brother of Sergio, the Real Madrid champion) in the club, is ambitious: he wants to take his local club to Primera Federacion (the Spanish Serie C). However, this adventure would not prevent him from accepting the offer from Espanyol. On their part, to hire Monchi, they must resolve the contract with the current sporting director, Fran Garagarza, who is currently on sick leave due to a heart attack he suffered last November. And then, as mentioned, there is the need to secure survival: a far from guaranteed task.