Sevilla sporting director Monchi has responded to former member of the Barcelona board Javier Bordas‘ claim that he was close to joining the Catalan club back in 2017.
“Whether I was close or not I don’t know,” Monchi said to 7TV in comments carried by Mundo Deportivo. “He talks about 2017 and I was in Seville or Rome. I’d have to look at how many kilometres away I was to know how close I was.
“Right now I am happy at Sevilla, happy to have returned,” he said, without denying Bordas’ claim.
Monchi is the man most credit with Sevilla’s phenomenal performance in Europe since the turn of the century. He spent his entire playing career at the club before becoming sporting director in 2000, when Sevilla had been relegated to the Second Division. Aside from a brief spell with Roma, it’s where he’s remained ever since, and has presided over the most successful era in the Andalusian club’s history.
Monchi also spoke about Jesus Navas, about whom fears had been raised that he could have been suffering from an injury more serious than initially thought after hurting his abductor muscle against Osasuna.
“In Jesus’ case, we’re moving with the times,” he said. “He’s progressing well, as is [Marcos] Acuna, and we’re going to see how this week’s work goes before specifying when his comeback will be.
“Sometimes you have to understand that excess information can be an advantage for rivals, so we have to play our cards close to our chest. In such a globalised world such news reaches every corner of the globe in seconds.”
Sevilla are struggling domestically this season, currently sitting 12th in LaLiga. The Andalusians are ten points off league leaders Real Sociedad and just four clear of bottom-placed Huesca, a level of performance at odds with their fourth-placed finish last season.
They finished level on points with Atletico Madrid in third in 2019/20, and coupled this achievement by winning a record sixth Europa League title. In Europe, however, Sevilla have maintained their level of performance – they sit second and are unbeaten in Champions League Group E, level on points with leaders Chelsea and six clear of third-placed Krasnodar.
Featured image courtesy of Goal.
