Spain are considering renewing the contract of manager Luis de la Fuente, despite being in the job for less than a year.
De la Fuente was put in charge after Luis Enrique’s contract expired following the 2022 World Cup, and initially dealt with a number of doubts after defeat to Scotland in just his second fixture.
After winning the Nations League on penalties against Croatia, de la Fuente faced calls for his head after clapping former RFEF President Luis Rubiales for lying about his involvement with Jenni Hermoso, and clamouring against ‘false feminism’.
Now however, after leading Spain to the top of their European qualifying group and that Nations League victory, interim RFEF President Pedro Rocha is reportedly keen on handing him a contract extension, as per Diario AS. Rocha has the power to do so, and is one of several within the higher offices of the RFEF that have been impressed with de la Fuente’s work.
However they do note that Rocha is expected to present his candidacy for the full-time job, and may wait until he has a mandate to do so before offering a renewal. De la Fuente has a contract until the end of the European Championships next summer as things stand.
It is somewhat surprising to hear talk of renewal, given de la Fuente has been in charge for just eight games, even if he has carved out some good results against Croatia and Italy. It may well be that Rocha is keen to extend de la Fuente’s contract sooner rather than later, and avoid his future becoming a talking point during the Euros.
