The Decline Of Sevilla: How A Giant Lost Its Way

From winning the Europa League in 2023 to finishing one point above the relegation zone in 2025, how is it that a successful team in Europe has struggled so much domestically? A multitude of factors can be listed as to why the Spanish side have seen a significant drop in form. Football Park takes a deep dive into these elements.

The Failure of Sevilla’s Recruitment

One of the most influential points as to why Sevilla have seen a dramatic decline in performance is their failure in the recruitment department over recent years.

Firstly, let’s go back to the 1999/2000 season, where Sevilla had just been relegated from La Liga. The club needed a significant restructure to bounce back into Spain’s highest division. That’s when they appointed former club goalkeeper Monchi as their director of football. He was given the tasks of developing the youth system, alongside creating a successful scouting network across Europe. Monchi helped secure the signings of many big names over the years, including Sergio Ramos, Jesús Navas and Alberto Moreno.

Sergio Ramos and Jesús Navas both came through Sevilla’s academy together.

At 37, they’ll be teammates again 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/4GatTdW2H2

— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 4, 2023

So How Did Their Recruitment Go Downhill?

Monchi left the Seville based side in 2023 after rejoining the team in 2019. That left a massive void within the heart of the club, which hasn’t been replaced by current sporting director Víctor Orta. This is what has really hurt Sevilla, as their inability to replace key players has led to the club slide down the league table since their fourth-place finish in the 2021/22 campaign. Their most noticeable losses have been Jules Koundé (who left the club in July 2022 for Barcelona) and Diego Carlos (who left the club in June 2022 for Aston Villa).

🗣️ Julen Lopetegui (Sevilla coach):

“An important player in Diego Carlos has left and Koundé may also leave.”
pic.twitter.com/arV3zU9GMP

— infosfcb 𝕏 (@infosfcb) July 15, 2022

These two players were a centrepiece within Sevilla’s defence and played an integral role in the club finishing the 2021/22 season in fourth place. With both players being given the option to leave the club if they remained loyal the summer before, it weakened their hand in negotiations. This led to lower transfer fees being paid for the duo, showing the start of the downturn in performance off the pitch. On top of this the club failed to replace the pair, which has been an even bigger blow to the side as their recent success has been built on the foundations of a solid defence.

With 55 goals conceded in the league this season, it puts the seven-time Europa League winners 5th highest in La Liga for the most goals conceded. Go back to the 2021/22 campaign when they achieved a Champions League paying place, the club only conceded 30 goals, the best record in the league that season. Their failure to replace key players in defence has led to the club’s downward trajectory, with the recruitment taking a significant hit when Monchi left the club in 2023.

Managerial Instability

Sevilla have had seven different managers in the last three years, something that on the surface sends the alarm bells ringing. Let’s go back to October 2022, when Julen Lopetegui had just been sacked after losing six out of 10 matches in all competitions. The Spanish coach managed to get back-to-back-to-back top four finishes in all three seasons as manager and even secured a Europa League title in 2020.

Official, confirmed. Julen Lopetegui has been sacked — he’s no longer Sevilla manager. 🚨⚪️🔴 #Sevilla pic.twitter.com/kAkr0qeyLF

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 5, 2022

Despite this he was relieved from his duties, and was replaced by Jorge Sampaoli, who had previously coached the Argentina and Chile national teams. However, his tenure at the club only lasted five months as he was sacked in March 2023. Sevilla sat only two points above the relegation zone and had lost five of their last seven matches when the Argentine coach was sacked. It meant when Jose Luis Mendilibar was brought in the same day, the Spanish outfit had gone through three managers in five months.

Mendilibar, like his predecessors, wasn’t able to extract the best out of the team and was sacked in October 2023. Unlike Sampaoli, the Spanish manager was able to see himself to the end of the season and even won the Europa League. However the following league campaign didn’t start on a good note, as his side had only won two out of the opening eight games of the La Liga season. That prompted the sacking of Mendilibar, with Diego Alonso replacing him.

José Luis Mendilibar is Sevilla's third manager of the season.

They're 11th in La Liga.

They'll play Champions League football next season 🌟 pic.twitter.com/EdSW5Hf6vR

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 31, 2023

Diego Alonso was appointed two days after the sacking of manager Mendilibar, but failed to record a win in La Liga and in the Champions League. The Uruguayan manager took charge of eight league games, with three defeats and five draws across that period. He finished plum last in their Champions League group and was sacked in December 2023.

Quique Sánchez Flores was the next manager to take the reigns of Sevilla, who has also managed fellow Spanish sides Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Getafe. The Spanish international managed to steer the club away from the looming threat of relegation, with the Seville based team sitting in 17th place when he took over. Sánchez Flores led his side to 12th place by the end of the season and mutually agreed to part ways with the club at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Following the departure of Sánchez Flores, the Spanish outfit appointed Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta on a two-year deal. The former Las Palmas boss led the side to promotion in the 2022/23 season and secured their safety for the following La Liga campaign. However this form couldn’t be transferred into his Sevilla team, as Garcia Pimienta lost four games in a row and only won three times in 2025 before being sacked in April 2025.

García Pimienta has been sacked by Sevilla. pic.twitter.com/YHB4mneU67

— SleeperFootball (@SleeperFooty) April 13, 2025

Joaquin Caparros then returned for the third time to become Sevilla manager. The 69-year-old, who had two previous spells with the club as interim manager in 2018 and 2019, was appointed until the end of the season. Whilst the club remained locked in a relegation battle for the majority of the season, Caparros secured their La Liga survival, finishing in 17th place and one point above the drop zone.

On 16th June Sevilla appointed their seventh manager in three years when they announced Matias Almeyda as their new head coach. The former player signed a three-year contract with the club, which when looking at the ruthlessness of Sevilla’s board of directors it looks unlikely that he will see his contract out. Almeyda joined from Greek side AEK Athens, in which he won the domestic double in his first season.

🚨🔴⚪️ Matias Almeyda agrees to become new head coach at Sevilla on initial three year contract.

Agreement done and contracts set to be signed despite link with Italian clubs, as @ClMerlo reports.

Almeyda, set for new chapter in Spain. pic.twitter.com/3ZHY0LRXsE

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 13, 2025

Will Sevilla Bounce Back?

The seven-time Europa League winners have experienced the highs and lows of football over the past 10 years. From being European powerhouses to battling it out in a relegation scrap, the rise and fall of Sevilla has been interesting to say the least. Will the Spanish side bounce back? It certainly won’t be a quick turnaround, but if they give a manager the time and resources to implement his style of play, there’s no reason as to why the fallen giant can’t return to Europe’s biggest stage.