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Julen Lopetegui: Why Real Madrid chose Spain boss over Klopp, Pochettino and Conte
JULEN LOPETEGUI has been appointed as the new Real Madrid boss, which shocked Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
Spain manager Lopetegui is currently preparing for the World Cup in Russia, with their opening game against Portugal this Friday.
But it was announced today he would replace Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid once Spain’s participation in the tournament is over.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was an early favourite for the job, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea’s Antonio Conte also linked.
But Balague has explained why Real have ended up opting for national coach Lopetegui instead of the Premier League trio.
The three names that had been linked to Real Madrid, Mauricio Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte, didn’t fit the agenda
“It’s been surprising for everybody,” Balague told Sky Sports News.
“But to be honest, the three names that had been linked to Real Madrid, Mauricio Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte, for different reasons didn’t fit the agenda.
“Pochettino, quite clearly, didn’t even have the chance to say yes or no because Real Madrid didn’t want to negotiate with Daniel Levy.
“They realised very quickly that Jurgen Klopp has got a very close link with Liverpool and they couldn’t get him out of there.
“And with Conte, they weren’t sure about if that was what’s needed for Real Madrid.
“So then it was just a matter of guessing and nobody out Julen Lopetegui’s name forward because we all thought he was focusing on the World Cup and he’s got a new contract with the national side.
“But, if you look at it from the point of view of Real Madrid, there weren’t really too many options out there.”