It’s remarkable how drastically Sevilla has changed in only a year. Last season, Sevilla were seen as outside title contenders to win LaLiga. Now, the six-time UEFA/Europa League winners are currently fighting to stave off relegation. Julen Lopetegui, who won them their last Europa League title and qualified 3 consecutive seasons for the Champions League, was sacked midseason and replaced by Jorge Sampaoli.
Sampaoli has not made much of a difference since taking over and the team is still in the realms of the relegation battle, which is making Sevilla fans even more on edge. If that wasn’t bad enough, their cross-city rivals (Real Betis) are battling to get into the Champions League and won the Copa del Rey last season. It’s hard times for Sevilla, but how did a side competing for the league and getting into the Champions League get to this point?
Issues in the Director’s Box
Everything starts at the top and seeing the current power struggle that’s occurring within the club, their on-field issues should not come as a shock. While there’ve been prior riffs over the past few years, this season has seen it reach boiling point. The current president, Jose Castro Carmon, is under extreme pressure and has been jeered by the fans on several occasions. Jeers have also been directed at former president and Sevilla’s biggest shareholder, José María del Nido, as he attempts to reclaim control of the club.
While it was under José María del Nido’s guidance that saw Sevilla initiate their most successful period, the idea of him returning to the presidency isn’t something that’s being well received by the Sevilla fans. Not only cause he can be a polarizing figure, but also because of his corruption charges, which saw him spend time in prison. It wouldn’t exactly be the best image to have somebody as president who was found guilty of misappropriation of funds. Whatever happens, this is something that Sevilla needs to sort out to have proper guidance coming from the director’s box.
Financial Problems
In an effort to not only finish in the Champions League, but also challenge for the LaLiga title, Sevilla began to sign more experienced players over the past few seasons. This resulted in paying higher wages, but the club wouldn’t have to worry about financial issues as long as they qualified and made it out to the knockout stages of the Champions League. However, last season’s Champions League was a significant setback as they were eliminated in the group stages and failed to even get passed the round of 16 in the Europa League. This had a negative impact on the club’s finances as they were forced to sell their best defenders, Diego Carlos and Jules Koundé.
Worst of all, because of LaLiga’s strict financial regulations, all potential suitors knew about Sevilla’s financial crisis and they wouldn’t be able to sell them at the price they would’ve wanted. Even with these sales, they still couldn’t spend much in the transfer window because the club needed to balance their books; leaving Lopetegui with the same aging squad of players.
Transfer Policy
Sevilla under Monchi use to be known as a club that would find talented players at a bargain, develop their qualities, and then sell them for a big profit. However, since Monchi returned with the “Nervionenses” as sporting director in 2019, his touch for low-key signings has not exactly been the best in his second stint. While Sevilla’s financial crisis has put a strain on signings, many of them (Rafa Mir, Thomas Delaney, Óscar Rodrídguez, Luuk de Jong, Isco, etc) have not worked out as expected.
Not to mention the decision to bring in Jorge Sampaoli after sacking Julen Lopetegui has done little to get the team back on track. In the same way Monchi was praised for his incredible scouting in his first stint, which lead to much success, he will have to take the blame for Sevilla’s bad signings.
Now, while Monchi’s recruitment has been poor, an issue he’s been having is that the markets he use to control have been taken over by the elite clubs. Because of the current high transfer fees and wages, many of the top teams have changed their recruitment strategies and are now looking into those markets. Before, Monchi would sign diamond in the ruff players from Brazil, France, and the Balkans. However, now a lot of these top clubs not only find them, but sign them even before they turn 18 years of age.
- The best Brazilian prospects are being signed directly by the elite clubs
- The Bundesliga is taking all the best up-and-coming talent from France.
- The best Balkan players are either signed by Bundesliga teams or go directly to the Premier League.
Regardless, others clubs with the same ideas and concepts as Sevilla (Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Real Sociedad, etc) are also experiencing the same issues, yet have done extremely well during this period. Whatever it is, Monchi needs to either find a different market to scout or change his recruitment policy if he wants to bring back quality talent to Sevilla and be competitive again.
Javier Martinez is a seasoned veteran of football coverage and an expert on Spanish football. He has been covering world football for more than seven years with bylines at outlets such as The 18 and The Real Champs.