Aston Villa manager Unai Emery spoke about his relationship with Monchi in an interview with Diario de Sevilla, revealing that Villa had previously been constrained by Financial Fair Play rules. Emery did not rule out the possibility of working with Monchi again in the future.

Emery and Monchi first worked together at Sevilla in 2014, when Emery became the head coach and Monchi was the sporting director. Sevilla then won the Europa League for three consecutive seasons. In 2016, Emery left Sevilla to coach Paris Saint-Germain.

Recalling his departure at the time, Emery said: "I couldn't tell him in advance then. Later, one day he called me and said, 'Look, Marca says you're going to Paris Saint-Germain, and when Marca reports something like that...' I told him, 'Damn, Monchi, I'm really sorry, but I couldn't tell you before. It's true, they will pay the release clause. For me, it was clearly an opportunity I had to seize, Monchi.'"

Emery revealed that he had also hoped to work with Monchi later when he coached Arsenal: "Later at Arsenal, we even met in London, and I thought he would come, but he ended up going back to Sevilla."

In 2022, Emery became Aston Villa's head coach, and Monchi arrived at Villa Park in July 2023, bringing them together again. Emery said: "Later I came to Aston Villa. I said to him, 'Monchi, what's the situation now?' I had seen news that he was preparing to leave, and then he came to work with me."

"We worked very well together and had a good two years, but at the same time, he was also involved in the San Fernando project and was very committed to it. We also faced some difficulties with Financial Fair Play at the time. So, considering all these factors, he ultimately said he couldn't stay."

Emery further revealed the financial pressure Villa faced: "We had to sell players, and that period was indeed very difficult. We were always looking for ways to resolve these issues. In the end, everything was resolved, but the whole process was not easy."

Monchi concluded his work at Aston Villa in September 2024 to focus more on the San Fernando project. This summer, he also became the sporting director for Espanyol.

As for whether he would work with Monchi for a third time in the future, Emery did not rule it out. He said: "I like him very much, and as a professional, I have the highest respect for him. We have worked together twice, and it was almost three times, because even when I was at Paris Saint-Germain, I always hoped to work with him."

"Later we went our separate ways, and then we hired Roberto Olabe, whom I had also worked with before. That's football. Football changes very quickly and very frequently. Sometimes changes happen because you are fired, and sometimes because you choose to leave, and it's always better to be able to decide to leave yourself than to be fired."

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