Monchi reveals Ollie Watkins transfer truth as he opens up on Arsenal interest
Monchi spoke about club interest in Aston Villa players
Monchi has spoken about Arsenal’s interest in Ollie Watkins at the start of the year and his decision to leave the club after the summer window closed.
Roberto Olabe replaced the 57-year-old with immediate effect, while Damian Vidagany remained in his role as director of football operations.
Monchi served as President of Football Operations at Villa for just over two years and played a key role in the club’s progress under Unai Emery.
This was a particularly difficult summer window for Villa, which could have been even more difficult had they not raised substantial funds in the previous January window.
During this period, Villa sold Diego Carlos, Jadon Philogene and Jhon Duran for almost £100 million, with Duran moving to Al-Nassr.
At the time, Arsenal’s interest in Watkins complicated matters, but Villa were unwilling to sell their star striker for less than £60million.
“There was real interest in Watkins from Arsenal in the January transfer window,” Monchi told Flashscore. “In this summer market, there was no formal offer.
“Let’s see, in three months there is almost a summer, because each time the markets start earlier and earlier. There is not only interest in Ollie, in Morgan, in Matty Cash, Konsa, in McGinn, in everyone because in such a big market, in a team with such good players and who also come from two magnificent seasons, there are rumors, but there have been no formal offers.”
Speaking about his decision to leave, Monchi said: “After two very successful years, the next step was consolidation within the elite… after a lot of attrition, maybe new faces were needed… We agreed it was best for everyone.
“It’s a city that welcomed me very well… I had a wonderful two and a half years. I lived in the center, Place Saint-Paul, close to the city center and relatively close to Bodymoor (training ground).
“For a public person, Birmingham is perfect. I could go out on the street almost without being recognized. Of course, I missed Spain, especially Seville/San Fernando, but I have very good memories of Birmingham.”
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