AS Roma have confirmed Monchi as the club's new sporting director.
The 48 year old is highly regarded due to the transfer policy he maintained at Sevilla over the past 15 years which has resulted in the La Liga side winning five UEFA Cup/Europa Leagues, winning two Spanish Cups and regularly qualifying for Europe despite selling their best players each year.
Monchi (real name Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo), who started his playing career at Sevilla as a goalkeeper and stayed there throughout his playing and post-playing career up to date, went onto become sporting director in 2000 after retiring as a player, sparking the greatest era in the club's history since winning La Liga for the only time in the 1940s.
Among the players bought cheaply and then sold for large fees to bigger clubs during Monchi's Sevilla tenure include Dani Alves and Ivan Rakitic, while the club's academy also produced talents like Sergio Ramos, Jesus Navas and Jose Antonio Reyes, who all left for big fees to Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal respectively (Reyes would return later in his career).
Monchi left Sevilla earlier this month with a standing ovation at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan home ground to mark his departure.
The Spaniard had been linked with Roma, who are currently second in the Italian top flight, and the club have now confirmed his appointment:
"On behalf of myself and the entire AS Roma team, we welcome Monchi to our family and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship as we begin an exciting new era at the club," said AS Roma's club president Jim Pallotta on their official website.
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