Julen Lopetegui has offered an indication as to why he turned down Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur last summer, telling El Larguero that he is ‘happy’ and ‘fulfilled’ at Sevilla.
Rarely has one coach divided opinion quite like Lopetegui.
The former Spain boss led Sevilla to Europa League glory in 2020. The Andalusians could repeat the trick in 2022 – they are facing West Ham in the round-of-16 – and currently sit second in La Liga, a first domestic title since the 1950s in their sights.
Despite all those achievements, Lopetegui remains a divisive presence on the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan touchline. Is Sevilla’s success because of or despite him? Are they underachieving or overachieving?
Would Sevilla be clutching onto Barcelona’s coattails without Lopetegui’s organisational skills and results-driven approach?
Would they be sitting pretty in the La Liga summit, rather than in second place, with a more adventurous manager willing to give the club’s treasure trove of attacking gems the freedom to express themselves?
Why did Julen Lopetegui turn down Tottenham?
Tottenham were willing to trigger the release clause in Lopetegui’s contract last summer, when Daniel Levy was going from door-to-door, country to country, club to club in pursuit of Jose Mourinho’s successor.
The 55-year-old rebuffed Spurs’ advances, reportedly for personal reasons’.
And, ahead of next week’s crunch Europa League clash with the Hammers, Lopetegui insists that he wants to stay and see out his contract in Andalusia,
“Hopefully (I’ll stay until 2024),” Lopetegui explains.
“It’s an honour to be the coach of Sevilla. I feel fulfilled in Seville. Yes, there have been times, like this summer, (when I could have left). But we decided to be where we wanted to be.
“We still want to be here and we are very happy.
“It is a real pleasure and honour to work at Sevilla. And, of course, working with Monchi is quite an experience.”
On the back of Tuesday’s dismal 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Middlesbrough, Tottenham’s fifth in their last eight games, who’s to say that Levy will be forced to spend another summer looking for a manager?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
