Merida general director Alejandro Pérez has explained how the recent purchase by Brentford came about, and what the link will mean in future for the Spanish side.
[AS have an interview](https://as.com/futbol/mas_futbol/el-merida-suena-en-grande-tendremos-sinergias-con-el-brentford-n/) with him today to discuss all things Merida and, that means a discussion about Brentford.
The two club’s became linked in a new multi-club partnership back in April when the Spanish side were bought by Brentford’s holding company Best Intentions Analytics.
It means Brentford have revived a previous multi-club link after previously being associated with Midtjylland before they were sold in 2023.
Merida, a third-tier Spanish side operating in Badajoz in Western Spain, will be given full access to the same innovative analytics system that has helped Brentford rise to the Premier League and establish themselves in the top flight.
The move to buy the Spanish side certainly raised eyebrows given Brentford’s owners had moved away from the multi-club model two years ago, and Pérez has now explained how it came about.
“We’re currently part of the BIA group, which belongs to Matthew Benham, who has a close relationship with Mark Heffernan,” he said.
“That was also one of the factors. In fact, the club design that Mark developed was based on Mathew Benham’s knowledge of the club. There were also certain similarities between the two clubs. And not just between them, but also with Midtjylland.
“In the Extremaduran capital, there was a situation similar to what Matthew encountered upon his arrival at both of the aforementioned teams. And all of this led to a similar path, although each one had its own context.
“Another very important aspect is the financial aspect. Mérida’s growth, revenue, cost estimates, the way the player recruitment process is being approached… In the end, there are many similarities that have facilitated all of this.”
It now remains to be seen what Brentford’s plans are for their new sister club moving forwards, with that yet to be made clear.
Club models such as this one often see close ties between the two clubs, even though both are competing at very different levels at this moment in time.
That can sometimes leave clubs all becoming very similar, but Pérez insists that won’t be the case here.
“The lines we’ve been following and in which we have similarities with Brentford will be greatly reinforced. Obviously, Mérida is Mérida, and Brentford is Brentford. They’re two different clubs, and we each have our roots,” he added.
“We intend to implement a similar way of working and for it to serve as a mirror, not only in this but also on the sporting level. In general terms, we will try to optimize everything as much as possible and learn from them, just as they can also learn from us.”