Julen Lopetegui won’t be joining Wolves having rejected their approach to become their new manager and replace Bruno Lage.
Lage was sacked earlier this month having endured a very difficult start to the season.
A 2-0 defeat at West Ham United proved to be the end for Lage and he was sacked just 24 hours later.
Wolves have started their hunt for a new manager but it looks like their top target has slipped through the net once again.
Julen Lopetegui won’t be joining Wolves
Wolves have again shown a huge interest in appointing Julen Lopetegui as their new boss.
Lopetegui was a key target for Wolves in 2016 but he ended up managing Spain instead.
Wolves have eyed him again as they chase Lage’s appointment and it looked like the stars were aligning.
Lopetegui left Sevilla last week after a poor start to the season, and that appeared to pave the way for him to join Wolves.
Yet The Daily Mail reported earlier this week that Lopetegui’s move was being held up by a personal matter that he had to deal with in Spain.
The outcome isn’t great for Wolves though as Guillem Balague claims that Lopetegui has rejected an offer from Wolves.
Balague has told BBC Sport that Wolves put forward a very convincing offer to Lopetegui and his staff were ready to go to Molineux with him.
However, Lopetegui’s father is unwell and the Spaniard has decided to care for his dad rather than jump into another job.
Balague notes that Wolves have been understanding and that Lopetegui will chase a Premier League job eventually, but life has effectively decided for him – and has left Wolves to go back to the drawing board.
“It’s a heartfelt no [to Wolves] but the personal and professional timing did not coincide,” said Balague. “Conversations were very amicable and Wolves managed to put forward such an impressive case of a team that is accidentally towards the bottom of the table, but with a lot of potential and with players that will understand right away what Lopetegui could do with them.”
“That made Lopetegui doubt [his refusal], but life decides for you sometimes. His dad, 92 and whom Lopetegui is very close to, deserves his attention. It is not a matter of tiredness as he recovers energies, and his staff were ready to follow him wherever he went after the intense but very successful time at Sevilla.”
“Even though he said no on this occasion and Wolves understood, it is quite clear that – when things are better at home – he will look for a team in the Premier League, his next destination and where he will surely find top clubs interested in what he offers,” he added.
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