Former Wolves head coach Julen Lopetegui is now reportedly set to reject the chance to become Al-Ittihad’s new manager.
Fabrizio Romano has tweeted this morning to say that the Spaniard is going to turn down the Saudi club’s proposal, which was put to him after they recently sacked Nuno Espirito Santo.
Lopetegui has been out of work since leaving Wolves just days before the 2023/24 Premier League season.
He walked away from Wolves having grown frustrated with life at the club and having felt the goalposts had been shifted with regards to transfers.
Lopetegui left the club after taking the final pre-season friendly with Rennes, although he had actually informed Matt Hobbs of his desire to leave the club straight after the game with Celtic.
It looked as though a swift return to management was on the cards – but a move to Saudi now appears to be off the table for the 57-year-old…
Julen Lopetegui to turn down Al-Ittihad proposal – he still wants Premier League job after Wolves exit
According to Fabrizio Romano, Lopetegui will not become Al Ittihad’s new head coach, after he had held advanced talks with the the Saudi club.
The renowned journalist says he has been told that Lopetegui has a full focus on managing another Premier League club.
After leaving Wolves, it was reported that it was Lopetegui’s intention to remain in England’s top flight.
He said himself on a recent Football Daily podcast that he wanted to take another Premier League job, after leaving Wolves.
An interesting development
So it now looks as though Lopetegui will not be following Ruben Neves to the Saudi Pro League and his decision to reject Al-Ittihad’s proposal does stack up with what’s been reported previously and what he himself has said.
The Spaniard does appear to be really keen to take another Premier League job.
But it’s difficult to see where he could go just at the moment. He did great work at Wolves, but perhaps a ‘top job’ is beyond him. All the managers at the traditional ‘Big Six’ clubs are fairly settled.
You’ve then got clubs like Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Brighton who are seen as the challengers to those clubs. But their managers are also fairly secure in their positions.
There is more pressure on the managers of clubs down at the bottom, but it would be a surprise if Lopetegui would be interested in another relegation battle.
Wherever he goes, many Wolves fans likely won’t mind too much. The club is now in a very good place following his exit and the arrival of Gary O’Neil as his successor.