MONCHI, CONVINCED THAT BANEGA "WILL BE FULLY INVOLVED UNTIL HIS FINAL MATCH"

03/02/2020

The General Sporting Director spoke on Onda Cero Sevilla yesterday

On a difficult day after dropping two points at home to Alavés, General Sporting Director Monchi appeared on the talk show at Onda Cero Sevilla: "It's not an easy day on a professional level because we've had two very poor results and they're difficult to come to terms with. I'm not happy". He also stated he does not see similarities with recent seasons: "I don't think there's comparisons with the last two years... we have to focus on the present and fully analyse why we lost in the cup and drew with Alavés. At this club, drawing at home means there's a crisis and that is a way of growing. After yesterday's draw, we can't say it was a one-off or that we were unlucky, it's not a way of growing. On many occasions, we have come out stronger because of these bad moments".

He spoke about Banega and his announcement that he will leave in June: "If only every player were as clear as he was. I've managed the whole situation since it began. I think he's honest for announcing his move. There were two options and he chose to take responsibility, with integrity, and make it public. I'm convinced that he will be fully involved until his final match. I'm an admirer of Éver Banega, a lover of his style of play, but I don't think it's the end of the world when he leaves. He'll be a big loss that we have to cover, and we have time to find his replacement".

"Suso will take risks and become an important player, and yesterday you could see that against Alavés"

He also spoke about the new arrivals, beginning with Suso: “He will take risks and become an important player because of his personality and his way of being. His role is to be important on the ball. He will make mistakes just like everyone else. He wants to control the play in the final third and yesterday you could see that against Alavés. He will give us moments where we're on top, it's what we we're looking for". He was equally cautious with En-Nesyri: "When you sign a football you consider various things... personal reasons, how they'll adapt, the cost... In the case of En-Nesyri we considered various names and arrived at the conclusion that he's the player who was best-suited to our needs".

Finally, he spoke about Lopetegui: "He's got a real work ethic. He's at the training ground 24 hours a day. He's hugely committed, understands the dressing rooms well and recognises mistakes. This is what we liked, so we like Lopetegui. The team approaches every match with the same intensity. This isn't a short-term project, but a long-term one. I particularly thought we would need more time and he's got the team ready quicker. He was capable of that and that surprised me. I hope to see Julen stay for many years at Sevilla, on a selfish note, it would be a good sign for me, but also for him and the club".