Espanyol sporting director Monchi has told BBC Sport that Spanish clubs should pay far more attention to England’s Championship, describing the second tier as one of football’s “least understood” competitions and a rich source of hidden talent.
Monchi returned to Spain this year after two years as Aston Villa’s president of football operations. The former goalkeeper had previously held sporting director roles at Sevilla and Roma. Espanyol, based in Barcelona, finished 11th in La Liga last season and are among Spain’s oldest clubs, having been founded in 1900.
The club already has strong ties to the English game through its ownership group, led by Alan Pace, which also owns Burnley. That connection, Monchi said, gives him regular exposure to the Championship and a clear view of its quality.
“I think the Championship is one of the least understood competitions,” Monchi told BBC Sport. “Having lived in England for two years and worked with Aston Villa, and now continuing to follow the competition because of Burnley, I can say that there are some very good players there.”
Monchi, now 57, points to Morgan Rogers as one example of the talent who came through the Championship. Rogers joined Aston Villa from Middlesbrough in 2024, later becoming an England international before completing a £117m move to Chelsea this summer. “That is just one example, but I could give many more,” Monchi said. “I think it is a competition with an extremely high level of competitiveness, very good coaches and intense demands. It is an excellent place to discover talent.”
Espanyol have already begun tapping into that market. Tyrhys Dolan joined from Blackburn Rovers in July 2025 after five seasons in the Championship, while Netherlands international Quilindschy Hartman arrived on loan from Burnley.
Spanish clubs operate under La Liga’s squad cost limits, while Premier League clubs have considerably greater financial resources. Monchi said clubs such as Espanyol must find markets where intelligent recruitment can compensate for a spending disadvantage. “We cannot do everything we would like to do, but we do what we can,” he said. “It is true that we are at a disadvantage compared with some Spanish clubs, and particularly compared with clubs in England, Italy or Germany. However, we have to be imaginative, work hard and look for alternatives.”
The link between Espanyol and Burnley gives Monchi a close connection to the English game. “I cannot avoid keeping an eye on the UK,” he said.
His two years at Aston Villa also changed his perspective on how a modern club should operate. He admired Villa’s clear separation between the sporting and business sides, while maintaining strong relationships between ownership, staff and supporters. “There was a very clear distinction between the business side and the sporting side,” he said. “There was very good synergy throughout the club, a strong relationship with the ownership and a close connection with the fans. That does not mean applying everything in exactly the same way [at Espanyol], but they are valuable experiences.”
His most memorable moment in England came during his first season at Villa in the 2023-24 campaign, when they qualified for the Champions League. “After 40 or so years without playing in the Champions League, securing qualification was a beautiful moment,” Monchi said. Villa also reached the semifinals of the Conference League in that first season, before reaching the FA Cup semifinals and Champions League quarterfinals in his second campaign.
Monchi’s approach to identifying players has evolved considerably since he began working as a sporting director more than 25 years ago. He says the biggest change has been the arrival of data and artificial intelligence. “We no longer rely solely on scouting reports and subjective assessments, but also on the support provided by big data, artificial intelligence and data analysis in general,” he said. “All clubs have done, and what I have done personally, is adapt to new technologies.”
For Espanyol, that means combining data driven recruitment with the market knowledge Monchi gained during his career in Spain, Italy and England. The goal is not simply to find cheap players, but to identify those who can increase the club’s competitiveness and eventually help close the financial gap with wealthier rivals.
Monchi is also clear that Espanyol should not measure their progress by how they compare to Barcelona, despite sharing the same city. “Espanyol have to focus on themselves,” he said. “Barcelona are a major club and an important team, but I do not think Espanyol’s growth should be measured against Barcelona. Espanyol’s reference point has to be Espanyol itself.”
His ambition is to restore Espanyol to the status their history suggests. “Espanyol have enough history and enough of a past for us to look back at what the club has been and try to become that Espanyol again,” he said. “An Espanyol that was one of the most important clubs in Spain. That is where we have to aim to return.”
The immediate target is more modest: improve on last season’s league position and consolidate the project. “The ambition is to improve on last season’s league position and continue progressing, moving forward one step at a time and consolidating the project,” Monchi said.
If the Championship continues to provide the sort of players he believes Spanish clubs are overlooking, it could become an important part of the route back.