Monchi said to have ‘demanded €2m salary’ to consider Aston Villa exit – May be PR for president

Monchi’s Influence at Aston Villa Attracts Interest from Fenerbahçe Amid Champions League Breakthrough

 

Renowned Spanish football executive Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo, better known as Monchi, took on the role of Managing Director of Football at Aston Villa in July 2023. His appointment followed a second successful four-year tenure at Sevilla FC, where he built a reputation as one of Europe’s most astute talent spotters and strategic football minds.

 

Since arriving at Villa Park, Monchi has played a pivotal role in the club’s dramatic ascent under head coach Unai Emery. The duo, who previously worked together at Sevilla, have rekindled their successful partnership in England. Their collaboration has yielded remarkable results, culminating in Aston Villa’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League — a feat the club had not achieved in over 40 years.

 

Monchi’s transformative impact at the Midlands club has not gone unnoticed, and his growing reputation has begun to attract suitors from across Europe. Most recently, Turkish giants Fenerbahçe have expressed serious interest in luring the 55-year-old away from Villa Park.

 

According to Turkish journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, Fenerbahçe president Ali Koç personally met with Monchi in an attempt to convince him to join the Istanbul-based club. The report, which was amplified by Fener Ajans via social media platform X (formerly Twitter), claims that Koç sees Monchi as a visionary football executive capable of elevating Fenerbahçe’s sporting project.

 

However, the pursuit reportedly hit a stumbling block during negotiations. Sabuncuoğlu states that Monchi requested an annual salary of €2 million, a figure that proved too steep for the Turkish side to accommodate. As a result, the talks did not progress further, and the club’s interest in securing Monchi’s services appears to have stalled — at least for now.

 

Notably, this attempt to bring Monchi to Turkey comes just weeks after he reaffirmed his commitment to Aston Villa. In an interview with Spanish media earlier this year, Monchi expressed how warmly he has been received by Villa supporters and emphasized how “very comfortable” he feels at the club. When questioned about a possible return to Sevilla, he downplayed the idea, signaling a clear intention to remain focused on his current project in the Premier League.

 

Given Monchi’s recent public statements and the promising trajectory of Aston Villa, speculation around the Fenerbahçe approach may ultimately be more symbolic than substantive. It could be interpreted as a move by Koç to demonstrate ambition to the club’s fans — a way of signaling that Fenerbahçe is aiming high by targeting elite-level professionals.

 

Regardless of the motives behind the meeting, the episode underscores just how highly Monchi is regarded across European football. For Aston Villa, retaining his expertise could prove crucial as they prepare for their first Champions League campaign in generations — a challenge that will require both savvy recruitment and strategic vision at the highest level.