Arsenal: Missing out on Monchi can only mean one thing

Arsenal look to be set to miss out on Monchi as Technical Director, but give the process of elimination, that can only mean one thing, right?

Arsenal looked to be going all in on the Unai Emery era by doubling up on the Spaniard and giving him his former Technical Director, Monchi. The two teamed up at Sevilla during Emery’s time there, and the logic behind teaming them up again was that they already had a good chemistry, so why not?

It was looking like such a sure thing when Monchi announced that he was leaving Roma. With only Marc Overmars to challenge him, and Ajax making it clear that Overmars wasn’t leaving, Monchi looked like a done deal.

That said, if Monchi is truly returning to Sevilla, rather than starting afresh at the Emirates, that would mean that the only rumor remaining would be the return of Marc Overmars to the Emirates in a Technical Director role like what he is currently doing at Ajax.

Overmars has already made it clear that if he gets the opportunity, the first player he will go after is Matthijs De Ligt, the stalwart young Ajax defender who could fetch nearly £70m in an inflated transfer market.

But you don’t get much more ‘can’t miss’ than De Ligt, who has already been captaining Ajax, and even captained them past Real Madrid in the Champions League. He’s been talked about all over Europe for years now, so seeing him rise to the occasion isn’t even that surprising.

When Overmars revealed that he was hoping to take De Ligt with him wherever he went, I threw all my eggs into the Dutch basket. I forgot Monchi, forgot Daniele Rugani, all of it. Nothing matters quite like getting a defender like De Ligt, who is a long-term fix.

And if Overmars can bring him, then Overmars should be our man.

It’s because of that that I’m not at all bothered by Monchi potentially locking in at Sevilla. Not that he wouldn’t have been a great fit at the Emirates as well, but we have seen this defense battered around far too much that De Ligt is like a messiah.

Of course, this is all depending on how valid the rumors are. Ajax saying Overmars isn’t leaving doesn’t bother me. Teams aren’t going to openly allow executives to leave the club in the middle of the season. The summer does different things. Hopefully Overmars and De Ligt are those different things.