Monchi has confirmed he will be involved with Burnley alongside his role at Espanyol.
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In the official statement confirming the appointment, Espanyol revealed the 57-year-old will report directly to Alan Pace as well as CEO Mao Ye Wu.
Pace also announced the appointment on X with a picture of him standing alongside Monchi at Burnley’s Gawthorpe training ground, prompting suggestions he could also work with the Clarets in some capacity.
“Bienvenido Monchi! Looking forward to our journey together. Forever Forward,” Pace wrote.
Since then, further reports have emerged in Spain suggesting Monchi could work in an advisor role to Burnley alongside his more full-time, concrete position in Barcelona.
According to Spanish outlet AS, Monchi will dedicate time “outside of his regular work hours” to serve as an advisor to Burnley.
Monchi pictured at an Aston Villa friendly at Walsall in 2023 (Photo by Marco Rosi - SS Lazio/Getty Images)placeholder image
Monchi pictured at an Aston Villa friendly at Walsall in 2023 (Photo by Marco Rosi - SS Lazio/Getty Images)
The former Villa and Sevilla chief has now addressed those rumours during his official unveiling as Espanyol’s sporting director.
"Given that Espanyol and Burnley are jointly owned, I think it would be absurd not to share knowledge, information and time,” he told reporters.
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“But in a two-way way – from Espanyol to Burnley and from Burnley to Espanyol.
"Alan knows I'm available for whatever they need and we could possibly also benefit at Espanyol from the work and resources available at Burnley.
"I'm going to try to be involved with Burnley because I believe it's also good for Espanyol.”
During the press conference, Monchi revealed he met Pace while having dinner at a restaurant in Barcelona.
He also mentioned that he watched Espanyol’s recent game against Sevilla at Pace’s house in England.
Monchi has been pictured sat alongside key Burnley personnel at recent Espanyol games, including Pace and chief of staff Sean Bai.
The Spaniard left Villa in September of last year following the club’s poor start to the season, coupled with criticism over their transfer strategy.
The former goalkeeper not only worked with Unai Emery at Villa Park, but also at Sevilla. He also worked for AS Roma between 2017 and 2019.
Following a recent scare, Espanyol have recently secured their La Liga status for next season, whereas Burnley find themselves back in the Championship.
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