Julen Lopetegui is set to return to management with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad, after leaving Wolves a few months ago.
The Spaniard walked away from Molineux, after growing tired of life at the club.
He was not happy with the financial situation at the club, and had reportedly felt the goalposts had been moved several times regarding promises made about transfers.
Towards the end of his tenure, he made no secret of his frustrations, and his interview with Guillem Balague in particular did not go down well with Wolves officials.
Now, it looks like Lopetegui is about to make a very intriguing next career move…
Julen Lopetegui now in advanced talks with Al-Ittihad after leaving Wolves
According to journalist Ben Jacobs yesterday, Lopetegui is now in advanced talks with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.
The club are said to be ‘optimistic of finalising his appointment’. Should this come to fruition, it would see him replace former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm.
Nuno was sacked recently for a poor run of results, just months after he guided the club to the league title.
News of Lopetegui being set to join the club comes as a fair surprise. He had remained in England following his exit from Wolves, and it had been widely reported that he was holding out for another Premier League job.
He even talked up staying in England himself recently on the Football Daily podcast.
It’s all worked out for Wolves
Some Wolves fans were very fearful when Lopetegui left the club. He had done a great job, and it was very concerning given how close to the new season it was when he departed.
Some were also fairly comfortable to see him depart, given he clearly wasn’t happy. Some felt it was best for the club to just move on and start afresh.
Many will now be glad that that’s what happened.
Gary O’Neil has come in and breathed new life into the football club. He’s reinvigorated the place, and he has shown himself to be a great coach with some really fun ideas.
Lopetegui going to Saudi now would certainly be interesting, given his desire to stay in the Premier League.