Lopetegui sacked as Real coach after only 14 games
Board says results do not reflect quality of squad Pochettino and Conte linked with vacant role
Real Madrid have sacked Julen Lopetegui as their head coach following their 5-1 humiliation at Barcelona, sparking immediate speculation that the club will launch a fresh bid to lure Maurico Pochettino to the Bernabeu.
Talks have been held with Antonio Conte as Lopetegui’s long-term replacement, but the chances of him arriving have reportedly been hampered by the Italian’s legal dispute with former club Chelsea.
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has also been linked with the job, but president Florentino Perez would prefer the Tottenham manager as an eventual solution.
Lopetegui’s sacking comes in the same week that Pochettino said he has reached his lowest point in
nearly five years as Tottenham Hotspur manager.
Santiago Solari, the Argentine manager of Madrid’s B team and former Real midfielder, has been placed in temporary charge of the first team for at least a month.
Lopetegui was presented as Real Madrid’s new manager on June 14 after Spain sacked him on the eve of the World Cup because they were unhappy at the way he had negotiated the move while under contract with the national side.
He was in tears as he described it as the “happiest day” of his life when paraded at the
Bernabeu, but he lasted just 14 games, winning only six matches. The 52-year-old leaves with the team in ninth place in La Liga.
In a statement released last night, the Real board said that results on the pitch this season did not represent the quality of the squad.
Conte has won the league in Italy and England, but his confrontational style caused problems with Chelsea players Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, who grew tired of being played out of position and then being accused of a lack
of commitment. Conte is reportedly not the choice of the current Madrid players, with captain Sergio Ramos saying: “Respect needs to be earned not imposed.”
Pochettino, meanwhile, said this week that he is unhappy that continued stadium delays have left Spurs at a disadvantage, compared to the rest of England’s top six. He has also had to put up with a difficult few months in which Spurs made no summer signings and several players returned from the World Cup suffering from fatigue.
However, last week Pochettino brushed aside the latest speculation that Real were planning a move for him. “I don’t have social media so I don’t receive much information,” the Argentine said. “That’s why my head, my face, I look younger than I am.”