Crystal Palace stun Man Utd with first ‘approach’ for Ratcliffe target, as Nott’m Forest lurk
Former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui and Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi
Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest have all converged on free-agent manager Julen Lopetegui, according to reports.
Lopetegui was in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers between November 2022 and August of this year. During his only season at Molineux, he guided Wolves to a 13th-placed finish in the Premier League, as well as the quarter-finals of the League Cup.
Lopetegui was hoping to eventually get Wolves challenging for European qualification, much like what Unai Emery has done at Aston Villa. However, Lopetegui soon became frustrated with the lack of spending power at his disposal.
Wolves had sustained significant losses in the years leading up to his appointment and therefore could not afford to spend big money on new signings, instead having to sell the likes of Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes, Conor Coady and Nathan Collins.
Lopetegui reached an agreement to leave Wolves just days before the start of the current campaign, with Gary O’Neil arriving as his replacement.
The Spaniard has since been offered a colossal wage to become the new boss of Saudi club Al Ittihad, but he turned it down. Reports in Spain have repeatedly stated that Lopetegui wants to take charge of another Prem club next.
On November 6, it was claimed that he is on Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s list of managerial targets, should Erik ten Hag be sacked at Man Utd. And two other sources have since confirmed that Lopetegui would love to take charge of the Red Devils.
But while Man Utd work out whether they should axe Ten Hag or stick with the Dutchman, they could miss out on Lopetegui.
Palace, Forest and Man Utd all keen on Julen Lopetegui
That is because the 57-year-old has emerged on the radars of two top-flight rivals. As per Marca, Palace and Forest have both joined Man Utd in pursuing Lopetegui amid uncertainty over their own managerial situations.
Palace currently have Roy Hodgson in charge. But as he is 76 years old, it is clear that the Eagles need to have a succession plan in place. Hodgson is also under pressure as Palace have failed to win in their last five games.
Forest, meanwhile, currently have Steve Cooper as their manager. But they are in dire form and this has led to speculation owner Evangelos Marinakis might get rid of the Welshman, even though the fans adore him.
Coincidentally, Cooper has been tipped to join Palace, should he leave Forest. But Lopetegui is now a possible candidate for the Selhurst Park job as well.
Marca state that while Forest are ‘the most interested’ in Lopetegui, it is Palace who are actually leading the race for his services right now.
That is because Palace have got to work on the potential appointment of him by making an initial ‘approach’. The South London side are currently waiting to discover whether the former Real Madrid and Spain boss is open to joining them next.
In terms of stature, Man Utd would clearly be the best option for Lopetegui out of his three Prem suitors. But the Old Trafford hot seat has been a poisoned chalice for most managers in recent years, as shown by Ten Hag’s downfall from a highly promising coach to an unwanted one.
Palace could be a good next move for Lopetegui, as he will fancy his chances of taking them up a notch and helping to give the side regular top-10 finishes.
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