Aston Villa closing in on Monchi as Christian Purslow departs
Villa are edging closer to appointing Sevilla sporting director Monchi as their new recruitment chief following the departure of chief executive Christian Purslow.
The club confirmed Purslow had stepped down after nearly five years in the role.
Though the 59-year-old’s exit was amicable, he had seen his influence significantly reduced in recent months, with head coach Unai Emery taking control of the club’s football operations, along with co-owner Nassef Sawiris. Villa also recently appointed former Philadelphia 76ers president Chris Heck to look after their commercial activities.
Monchi, who worked with Emery at Sevilla, is expected to now head up the club’s recruitment department. Talks with the Spanish club over a compensation package were ongoing last night and while Villa remain cautious, having previously seen Barcelona sporting director Mateu Alemany change his mind over taking the post, there is an increasing confidence this time they will land their man.
Purslow, appointed following the takeover by Sawiris and Wes Edens in summer 2018, took a keen interest in player recruitment during the tenures of Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard but was sidelined after Emery’s arrival, with the Spaniard boasting an extensive backroom team including personal assistant Damia Vidagany.
It is believed Purslow was offered the opportunity to remain in a different role but instead decided the time was right to depart. In a statement, he described his tenure at Villa Park as a “total privilege”.
