WOLVERHAMPTON, England (AP) — Premier League club Wolverhampton hired Julen Lopetegui as manager on Saturday.
Lopetegui was fired one month ago by Sevilla after three years with the Spanish club during which he led it to a Europa League title in 2020.
The 56-year-old Lopetegui will take over Nov. 14, subject to being granted work permits, following the team’s final game before the World Cup break.
“Julen is a top coach, with excellent experience at an elite level of the game, and we are very pleased to have agreed a deal to bring him to Wolves,” club chairman Jeff Shi said.
Steve Davis will remain in interim charge. The club’s under-18s coach took temporary charge of the first team after Bruno Lage was fired in early October.
Wolverhampton hosts Brighton on Saturday and is just one point above last-place Nottingham Forest.
“Since the very beginning, Julen has been our number one choice to manage Wolves, and we look forward to welcoming him and his team when they join us in the coming weeks,” Shi said.
The Spaniard’s first match in charge will be at Everton on Dec. 26.
Lopetegui attracted worldwide headlines after being fired as Spain’s national team coach just days before the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia for taking a job with Real Madrid without telling Spanish soccer federation officials in advance.
Lopetegui lasted only a few months at Real Madrid, which fired him after a 5-1 loss to rival Barcelona in late October 2018. He then joined Sevilla in 2019.
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