MONCHI: 'WE'RE GOING TO GIVE IT OUR ALL TO BE SUCCESSFUL, THAT IS A PROMISE.'

Regarding the outbreak within the squad, Monchi stressed the importance of anonymity for those who have tested positive: 'First and foremost, the people affected by the outbreak have a right to remain anonymous. We have to respect their wishes to not comment on the situation personally because there is a data protection law that must be respected and adhered to. When you inform La Liga that there are positive cases in the squad, you do not have to give their names. Secondly, I always believe that if a decision, however unpopular it may seem, can help the club in any way, then I will take it. My role is to take decisions that can benefit the club.'

'First and foremost, the people affected by the outbreak have a right to remain anonymous.'

In terms of the start of the season, and the return of Diego Carlos to the squad, the sporting director welcomed the return of the Brazilian to help the team again: 'He came as quickly as possible. He won the gold medal at four o'clock on Saturday afternoon and by Sunday morning, he was already on his way. Regardless of the time change and fatigue, he has shown his commitment to this team, which is commendable. He is hungry for more success.' Monchi also spoke about the importance of fans returning to the stadium for the first game of the season against Rayo Vallecano: 'It's one of this season's most exciting prospects. We requested to have a bigger capacity in the stadium, but we haven't had any official response. 40% is not a lot. I understand that people have to make a decision by prioritising the sanitary situation, but it's just frustrating when you watch games in Germany, England or France. Let's hope that this is only a short-term thing, and we hope that the fans can enjoy their return to the stadium as much as possible, albeit with the sanitary measures in place of course.'

Regarding the transfer market, Monchi was very open on his thoughts: 'Currently, I'm not happy, I'm not satisfied. It is not what I had in mind. When we sat down with the parties involved at the end of May and start of June to set out our goals, it is not what we're dealing with today. I don't want to give any mixed messages or expectations, and I accept responsibility. I'd say the main reason for this is that market is at a standstill and saturated. Every club has an oversized squad and a salary cap. I don't want to dwell on it and I'm confident that we can get out of this situation stronger by making important changes. One thing I do know is the capacity of this club to overcome difficult challenges and situations, and with the talented coaching staff that we have here at the club, I know that any player who arrives will be made to feel at home as quickly as possible. It's the first time in years that the salary cap has affected Sevilla. There has been a reduction in income, which of course, affects a club. 

'It's the first time in years that the salary cap has affected Sevilla'

Despite there being many difficulties over the past year and a half due to the pandemic, Monchi stressed that he has full confidence in the coaching staff at the club: 'They have an ability to get the best out of the players that we have here at the club. When things become difficult and complicated, you can take one of two outlooks on life. The first being to bury your head in the sand and think that the problems will go away on their own. The second way is resilience, by turning the negative into positives and coming out stronger. I have been trying to focus on this outlook more in recent years. Good things can come from a bad situation. I'm convinced that the team the coach selects will be a capable and motivated team.'

Monchi also touched upon his day to day life as the Sevilla FC sporting director:  'It's difficult to show you the day-to-day life of a sporting director who is as involved in the club as I am. Of course there might be better ones, but I don't think many have as much involvement as I do. This does have its advantages and disadvantages. The group will keep getting stronger. We're going to give it our all in this season, that is one thing I can promise. It is one of the team's main values, and we're going to show this eagerness and motivation from the first game.' Despite the restrictions that come from the salary cap, the sporting director supported the controls already in place: 'Clubs are in a better place thanks to this restriction. I am in favour of the salary cap. It's the first year that it has affected us, to be honest. We have a transparent set-up at the club which allows us to do things the right way.' Monchi also spoke about the influence of the African Cup of Nations, which will take place during the season: 'Obviously it will affect us, we have players that could be selected, mainly for Morocco. If everything goes to plan, Bono will be selected for his country, and Marko's arrival will help us deal with that. 

'We're going to show our eagerness and motivation from the first game'

He also didn't hide away from the coach's worries for the start of the season: 'Julen is as worried as I am. There are difficult moments and moments which are less difficult. We are a duo who speak, discuss and continuously communicate so we know what one and other are feeling. Sometimes we might have differing views, but this is good for the club because decisions will only be made if they can benefit the club. He is part of the framework and he knows that we are constantly giving our all to help the club in any way. He trusts in us and he knows our desire to have the 2021/22 squad together as soon as possible.' It will also be a season in which the coach has not had all of his players together in preseason for a variety of reasons: 'It wasn't the ideal scenario because there were players who joined later on in the preseason so their game-time had to be managed. It has helped players from the reserve team to set up to the mark and they can return to the reserves with an immense amount of experience. They have learnt a lot of things that will help them in their learning and development. It's very important that this relationship between the first team and the reserve team continues.'

The sporting director was also questioned on Koundé: 'He arrived a bit later as he was with France in the Euros. He is 100% involved. If we would have played the friendly against Aston Villa, he would have played the full 90 minutes. There is much speculation surrounding him, but the press always makes it into more of a big deal than the reality. We have not received any concrete offer for him. The fans want to know what's going on, but I don't know myself. If a substantial offer comes in, and taking in to account the current circumstances, we would accept it as it would ultimately provide funds to improve the team.' In the same way, Monchi denied the rumours that the Frenchman did not play in any of the friendlies because of a pending transfer. 'He joined us in Lagos and he wasn't able to train before the PSG friendly, so it would have been a reckless decision to make him play. Likewise with the Roma game, he had trained five times and the technical staff only select the players who have no risk of injury whatsoever. Lamela arrived at the same time and he didn't play any of the games either. Koundé is in good physical shape.'

He went on to discuss the transfer of Bryan Gil to Tottenham: 'It wasn't a planned transfer. Julen was very eager to work with him, and we didn't really think that we would receive substantial offers for him. With the salary cap, you have to make the most of what you have. Financially, it is a very good transfer. We explained this to the coach and he understood that there are situations sometimes that need to be looked upon from a financial point of view for the club. We also benefitted from the transfer with the arrival of a player who can help us strive for success.' Monchi also touched upon the importance of the Academy: 'I urge anyone who believes that the Academy does not need to be used to come to the training ground so that they can see with their own eyes the amount of resources that they have. I dedicate 85% of my time to the Academy. Like any club, there are some players who stay on with the club, and some who leave. It's a resource that Sevilla can use depending on what the team needs.'

River Plate right-back, Gonzalo Montiel, was another name that was mentioned in the interview: 'I've said that the right-back position is a position that needs strengthening, and Gonzalo is among the players considered. The media normally fast-track the rumour to a point where it is apparently a done deal, when that is far from the truth. He is a player who we have followed and analysed, and is one of several players who tick the boxes for this position. We have a few interesting names on the table.' He also mentioned the potential transfer of Alavés striker, Joselu. 'It was something we thought about at the start of the window. However, financially, it just wasn't possible. He is a player who suits our way of play, but unfortunately it wasn't possible.' Monchi also discussed Lopetegui's honesty and transparency when he received an offer to leave the Nervión club: 'At the end of June, he received an offer to manage an English club, which he politely declined as he was 100% committed to Sevilla FC, and this says a lot about our manager. In the same way that there are rumours surrounding our players, it makes sense that Julen, following two successful seasons at the club, is highly sought after.  

'It makes sense that Julen, following two successful seasons at the club, is highly sought after.'

In terms of the transfer market, Monchi praised the club's development when it comes to current players rejecting offers from other clubs to remain with the Nervión club: 'An English club showed a lot of interest in one of our player, not Koundé, and our player didn't have any interest and declined the offer. Jules himself has received phone calls from other clubs and he has also declined. This makes us proud of what we have created together at the club. As a result of Bryan's transfer, we have been given more freedom to analyse things more thoroughly.' Talking about the business side of the club, Monchi stated that 'another option would be to have a squad that adheres to the salary cap without capital gains. We have generated a lot of income through Bryan's transfer as well as the new sponsor. With more money, we can build a better squad.'

In addition, referring to Lamela in particular, Monchi heaped the praise on footballers when they arrive at a new club: 'Good footballers do not forget how to play football. This club has shown that footballers can be reborn here. 'Coco' is a great footballer and he had some wonderful moments both with Roma and Spurs. There is no rush when it comes to 'Coco', we have all the time in the world.' He also praised the arrival of Dmitrovic: 'We signed him quite a few weeks ago now, and he can increase the competition in the goalkeeping position. It's clear that having a healthy competition to be the number one goalie will clearly help the club. It will also allow both Javi and Alfonso to go and compete with them too.'

'This club has shown that footballers can be reborn here'

When questioned on the club's current prospects, Monchi set the target of Champions League qualification again: 'The end of last season was very good. Sevilla has to continue dreaming big, and to do that, we have to qualify for the Champions League again. It will be more difficult because our rivals have also been strengthening, so we can't take anything for granted, and we have to continue developing and working hard. This would be historical because we've never qualified for the Champions League via La Liga in three consecutive seasons before. We will give it our all with the upmost eagerness, determination, motivation and hard work.  I'd go as far as saying that we have the best coaching staff in Spanish football.'

Monchi looked back on the final stretch of last season with fond memories: 'When you're so close to the end and closing in on your opponents, you start believing that it can happen. The game against Atlético woke us all up. When things go well in football, you start to dream. Our objective for this season is to qualify for the Champions League.' This will also be Lopetegui's third season with the club: 'I try and help the coach as much as I can. He has many qualities, and some flaws of course because no one is perfect. We're both satisfied.' The sporting director finished the interview by emphasising the importance of a good start to the season: 'Sunday will be a tough game. They are in a good way because they've just been promoted. We can't be complacent, and if we want to win, we will have to give it our everything.'

'When things go well in football, you start to dream.'

To conclude the interview, Monchi sent an optimistic message to the fans and said the season will be 'long with difficult moments. We want you to continue supporting us and show the team and the coaches the support that they have earned.'