Monchi at Julen Lopetegui's presentation
First team

MONCHI: “I'M CONVINCED THIS BET IS A WINNING ONE”

05/06/2019
The Sporting Director of Sevilla FC "trusted so much in the work of Julen that it was worth giving him a more long-term project"

Sevilla FC Sporting Director Monchi accompanied Julen Lopetegui at his presentation as Sevilla FC manager. Asked why he chose the Basque coach, Monchi said: "He shares the same ideas as the board. He's the coach that, looking at the market, gives us the most confidence for the objectives we have in mind. The Chairman knows that, weighing up the interesting options, and there were many, as soon as we decided it was him, there was no doubt at all. We only needed to convince him to come here to be with us today. I'm a very happy man, as a Sporting Director and a Sevillista." When asked if Lopetegui was a risky bet after what happened with the national team: "I must be the odd one out because the only thing I see is that I'm going to win". 

On possible changes to the Sevilla squad, he said: "Now we have a coach we can fire the starting pistol for the 19/20 season. What the directions say at the moment is that we share ideas. We need to let Julen see what we've done in these last months and then select the squad. There are going to be changes but the most logical thing is that we agree and we come to common conclusions. I always work very closely with the coach because I think the coach should always dictate the patterns of profiles we're looking for, and then from there we can work. The squad is starting to take shape with a couple of elements and we're going to have to wait until it finishes because it's going to look very good". 

“The squad is beginning to take shape and it is going to look very good”

On the length of Lopetegui's contract: "Fundamentally, it's [a three year deal] because I trust so much in Julen's work. He deserved the chance to face a long-term project. It's going to help us work along clear lines, being as ambitious as possible. You already know I like to follow through with things and then see later on, with this profile and the board, it was worth betting on a long-term project".  

Asked about Sevilla's objectives for the 19/20 season, he said: "The objective is always for our team to win as many games as possible so we can get as high up the table as we can. The objective is to build the most competitive squad possible, to win as many points as possible and get as far as possible in every competition. More than just an objective, my aim is to build a squad in line with the coach and from there, win as many matches as we can". 

"My aim is to build a squad in line with the new coach"

Questions turned to the renewals of Banega and Sarabia: "There is no important update, they are two different cases. I can't really give you much on that. That's not to say that we're at a standstill, we're working to convince Pablo that renewing is the best option. I already said he's receptive, naturally work has continued from there. What I mean to say is that there is no newsworthy update".

Finally, he talked about the possibility of bringing in Alberto Moreno: "We've barely had time to talk to the coach. We already have two left backs and Wober can also play there. We're going to stay calm. We're going to weigh up the pros and cons of the squad, the necessities. If we need a left-back, Alberto Moreno will be one name amongst the options we've worked on".