Sevilla Sporting Director Victor Orta has told the press that he has no intention of trying to replace his predecessor Monchi, now of Aston Villa, for the simple reason that it is impossible.
Orta worked under Monchi for seven years, before going it alone, and eventually ending up at Leeds United with Marcelo Bielsa. Orta was relieved of his duties last season, but answered Sevilla’s call after Monchi left the club.
“It’s like trying to replace Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls, right? Monchi is Monchi, impossible to replace. I’m here to create something else, to keep the things that Monchi taught me and add my own touch. When I signed my contract at Sevilla, a very good friend in football, Emilio Vega, told me: ‘In football we never enjoy the journey.’ Then I said to myself: ‘I want to start enjoying the journey’.”
Back at the club, Orta told Diario AS that he was optimistic, and that he saw a club that behind the scenes had continued progressing forward in his decade-long absence.
He also explained what his and Sevilla’s strategy is.
“It’s about buying low and selling high, trying to discover talent before it reaches the highest level. This legacy of seven Europa Leagues arose from the sale of players. The first was Jose Antonio Reyes to Arsenal and then Dani Alves and all the others. It was the time when the team started winning trophies. We need to return to this model because it was the one that built this club. The last few years were a little far from that, trying to create another model to continually qualify for the Champions League. It was less sustainable and now we go back to signing players under 25 years old and trying to sell them in their first or second year of success.”
That being said, Sevilla did have something of a chaotic transfer window this summer, bringing in 37-year-old Sergio Ramos after the transfer deadline.
“Sergio wants to show that he is part of the history of Sevilla not only for leaving in a controversial transfer to Real Madrid, but also as something good. It is difficult to find a city in Spain with this level of passion. People here don’t care what Real Madrid or Barcelona do, not like in other cities in Spain where many have the local club as their second team. Not here.”
Orta comes into a club that might have been developing, but certainly has plenty of work to do. Monchi’s final two seasons at the club were heavily criticised, and since Julen Lopetegui’s penultimate season, have struggled to move forward, with the exception of Jose Luis Mendilibar’s European run.
