Transfer guru the brain behind Spaniards' rise from the doldrums to the big time

There are few soccer clubs where the star is the sporting director, but Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo, better know as Monchi, has been the architect of Sevilla's most successful era by far.

Since being appointed to the role in 2000, the former goalkeeper has guided the club from Spain's second division to five Europa League titles.

Moreover, Monchi has done so while raking in hundreds of millions of euros as the likes of Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos and Ivan Rakitic headed for greener pastures to be replaced at a fraction of their cost.

Sevilla sporting director Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo - aka 'Monchi' - has transformed the Spanish club's fortunes through shrewd transfer dealings. AP

"We are more a business now than a football club and on the field we have achieved incredible feats that we never dreamed of," Monchi told AFP in an exclusive interview.

He said Sevilla never saw the success it deserved in the past but is happy the club has "consolidated itself among the elite of Spanish and European soccer".

That consolidation among the elite can take one step further this week when struggling English champion Leicester City visits Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

For all Sevilla's success in the Europa League, Europe's second-tier competition, it has never reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League under Monchi's watch.

"There is a tremendous excitement, atmosphere and an ambition to take that long-awaited step into the best eight teams in the Champions League," said Monchi.

"It would be another step in the growth of the cub, growing our brand, the confidence in the project and a reaffirmation of what we are doing."

The sides couldn't come into the game in more contrasting fashion. Sevilla is riding high in La Liga, while, a year after its fairytale Premier League triumph, Leicester faces a battle just to remain in the top flight.

"It surprises me because I think they have a good squad," said Monchi.

"If we compare it to last year, there is only one important difference and that is the absence of (N'Golo) Kante," he added, referring to the midfielder's switch from the Foxes to Chelsea.

Difficult summer

If any team knows how to deal with the task of replacing departed stars and maintaining success it is Monchi's Sevilla.

Yet, even by his standards, the reconstruction job carried out in preseason was a remarkable one.

Paris Saint-Germain poached coach Unai Emery and key midfield cog Grzegorz Krychowiak, while last season's top scorer Kevin Gameiro joined Atletico Madrid.

Monchi doubted the project was sustainable. After the club refused to accept his resignation, it set about bringing in Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli and assembling a very different squad to Emery's.

"It was the most difficult (summer) for many reasons," said 48-year-old Monchi.

"For personal reasons, but fundamentally because there was a very sudden change of coach with plans having already begun.

"A new coach means a new plan. It put our department to the test and I think we reacted well."

Of the 11 players signed, the last of them has made the most signifcant impact.

Sevilla not only has the knack of finding hidden gems but increasingly is a stage for fallen stars to rediscover their form, as in the case of Manchester City loanee Samir Nasri.

The French playmaker has put his City rut behind him, with his Champions League-record 145 pass-completion total in the October win at Dinamo Zagreb indicative of the 29-year-old's revival.

"We thought that if Nasri is happy, he won't have forgotten how to play. We have tried to make sure the person feels good so that the footballer can appear."

After 30 years at the club, this season might be Monchi's last at Sevilla.

If so, Roma looks best-placed to inherit his magic touch in the market as he believes the cash-rich nature of England's Premier League would stifle his autonomy.

"I have said many times that France and Italy are the models that are perhaps the leagues that attract me most because the figure of sporting director has more weight," he said.

Agence France-Presse