It is claimed the Nottingham Forest boss could have taken the reins West Bromwich Albion or Swansea City first.
Aitor Karanka was interviewed by West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City before his appointment as Nottingham Forest manager, according to the Telegraph.
Karanka took on the Forest reins in January, 10 months after his departure from Middlesbrough.
West Brom and Swansea each disposed of managers in that time, eventually hiring Alan Pardew – sacked already, of course – and Carlos Carvalhal, respectively.
And the Basque has claimed to have turned down other offers as he awaited the “right opportunity”.
“After leaving Middlesbrough I needed the time out,” he told the Telegraph in an exclusive interview, published on Thursday. “There were quite a few offers, but I was waiting for the right opportunity.”
On accepting Forest’s approach, Karanka said: “I was out of work for 10 months but when I met the chairman [Nicholas Randall] in Madrid for the first time I knew this was going to be the next step in my career.
“Coming back to this league may have looked like a step back, but for me this is a step forward because it’s not a normal club,”
“When you’re not here, you know about the history but to actually go into the boardroom and see the two European Cups, you realise it’s huge.
“The history is a motivation, every time I wear the two stars I am representing Nottingham Forest. It’s a privilege and I cannot understand a big club without pressure.”
Karanka has made Forest harder to beat, only losing one of his last eight league matches in charge.
Nevertheless, the Reds appear destined for another season at Championship level, where their manager could yet be reunited with West Brom and Swansea.
The Baggies are 10 points adrift of safety with 18 left to play for, with the Swans only three points clear of the bottom three.
Did Karanka make the right call choosing Nottingham Forest?
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