Championship excellent place to discover talent - Espanyol's Monchi

What the report says

Espanyol sporting director Monchi has said England’s Championship is an undervalued place to find players, arguing that Spanish clubs should pay closer attention to a competition he described to BBC Sport as one of football’s least understood. Monchi, who has returned to Spain after two years as president of football operations at Aston Villa, said the second tier contains strong coaches, high competitiveness and talent that can be developed into top-level players.

The BBC report says Monchi cited examples such as Morgan Rogers, who progressed from Middlesbrough to Aston Villa and later became an England international, as evidence that the Championship can produce major value. Espanyol have also recently drawn on that market, signing Tyrhys Dolan from Blackburn Rovers and bringing in Netherlands international Quilindschy Hartman on loan from Burnley. Espanyol’s ownership connection to Burnley, through Alan Pace’s group, also gives Monchi a direct link to the English game.

Monchi said Espanyol must recruit imaginatively because Spanish clubs operate under La Liga squad-cost limits and cannot match the spending power of many rivals abroad. He also said his time at Aston Villa changed his view of club structure, especially the separation between sporting and business roles and the relationship with supporters.

More broadly, Monchi wants to help Espanyol move back toward the level suggested by their history. The Barcelona-based club finished 11th in La Liga last season, and he said the immediate aim is to improve gradually, while keeping the longer-term goal of restoring Espanyol to the top end of Spanish football.