Julen Lopetegui looks set to become the new Wolves manager after a period of reflection.
The Basque manager was sacked as Sevilla manager in early October following just one win in their opening ten games. At a similar time, Bruno Lage was removed as Wolves manager and Lopetegui was favoured by many for the job.
However Lopetegui told Wolves that he could not take the job, even if he liked the project. The former Spain and Real Madrid coach was burnt out by an exhausting final nine months in Andalusia and more pertinently, his father was seriously ill, making it impossible for him to leave the country permanently.
That was several weeks ago but Wolves‘ hunt for a new manager has been fruitless and Steve Davis remains in charge as an interim coach.
According to Diario AS, Lopetegui’s father finds himself in a much better situation. That fact has inspired Lopetegui to seize the opportunity and get back in touch. Negotiations are now well underway and a deal is expected to be done this week.
It will no doubt have helped that Lopetegui has been able to spend some time with his family following a tense end to his spell in Seville.
Wolves would be getting a manager that will look to immediately improve their fortunes. Taking over Sevilla in 2019, Lopetegui added to their collection of Europa Leagues in his first season and went on to secure three top four finishes in a row, their best run since the 1960s. Intense and organised, he based his success off a solid defence and managed all of that success without a prolific striker – no mean feat.
