Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers are set to open talks with Julen Lopetegui on Thursday after the former Real Madrid and Spain manager was sacked by Sevilla, according to talkSPORT.
Now, if we judged every single manager by his lowest point, then no one would ever get appointed. Imagine if Dortmund had written off Jurgen Klopp because of the way things ended at Mainz. Or if Rafa Benitez’s career never got going after just two wins in 23 games in charge of Real Valladolid in the 1990s.
Lopetegui might have left Sevilla in the aftermath of a 4-1 thumping by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League – this is their worst start to a season in over 40 years – but Wolves seem more than happy to overlook that with the 52-year-old emerging as the leading candidate to take over from Bruno Lage at Molineux.
TalkSPORT say that Lopetegui is likely to hold ‘formal talks’ with the Black Country outfit today. The Spaniard’s agent, one Jorge Mendes, will be central to those discussions.
It remains to be seen if Lopetegui will be unveiled before Saturday’s trip to Chelsea. Nottingham Forest on October 15th appears to be a more likely date for the experienced tactician to make his bow.
Wolves will hold talks with Julen Lopetegui after Sevilla exit
“Wolves have improved at a very important level,” the one-time Tottenham Hotspur target said back in 2020; defeating Nuno Espirito Santo’s side en route to claiming the Europa League title.
“They have invested a lot of money into brilliant young players. They’ve brought in players from important footballing countries. They are at a very, very high level.”
Interestingly, Lopetegui came ‘close’ to taking over at Wolves back in 2016. He would have become the first appointment of the Fosun International era at Molineux. The allure of the Spanish national team, however, proved impossible to ignore.
Wolves are reportedly keeping an eye on the likes of Carlos Carvalhal, Bo Svensson, Steve Cooper, Sergio Conceicao and Ruben Amorim too. Ditto Javi Gracia and Eusebio di Francesco. Pedro Martins, meanwhile, looks set for a shock move to Championship outfit Hull City.
Martins, sacked by Olympiacos in August, is reportedly keen on a move to England.
“I was very close (to taking over at Wolverhampton Wanderers),” Lopetegui told tell The Guardian in 2016.
“But, in the end, it wasn’t to be. When the (Spanish) federation called, naturally my objective became the national team. But it’s true that, before that, (Wolves and I) had been working hand in hand for some time.
“Wolves is a great club, where there would be significant investment and a desire to grow. To shine again.”
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