Aston Villa manager Unai Emery and president of football operations Monchi could bring in another significant senior member as part of the club’s ongoing rebuilding efforts behind the scenes. Emery, who joined Villa in October 2022, has had significant influence over the appointments of key figures like as Monchi and Damian Vidagany.
Monchi, who works with Emery as manager, took over the club’s recruitment campaign when Johan Lange left last summer. Monchi joined Sevilla after Villa failed to sign Mateu Alemany, who was then at Barcelona. According to recent indications from Spain, another trusted voice may be on his way to Villa Park.
According to Máximo de la Cruz Ramírez, a Seville-based journalist, Antonio Fernández Marchán is in talks with Villa about rejoining Monchi’s team. He was previously the Director of Youth International Recruitment at Sevilla and now operates his own company, the White Elephant Academy.
Monchi and Fernandez have a long history; they played together at Sevilla from 2000 to 2006, before the latter chose a career ‘upstairs’. Fernandez worked as a technical secretary at Valencia and as a sporting director at Jerez and Malaga, the latter of which qualified for the Champions League during his tenure. He also worked as an analyst and talent scout for Spain, where he helped the country win the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
During his stint at Sevilla, Fernandez was in charge of bringing in players from South America, particularly Daniel Alves and Julio Baptista. In 2023, he helped the team win their seventh Europa League trophy by defeating Roma on penalties. He also helped them win the UEFA Cup before leaving for the first time in 2006.
Villa owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have spent a lot of money and effort to improve and upgrade Villa’s academy; the club has invested millions of pounds to lure some of the top young talent from across the UK and Europe to Bodymoor Heath. Fernandez, based on his most recent experience at Sevilla and prior positions, might provide skills to help Villa globalise at the academy level.
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