When the news started to filter out of the Sevilla press that Julen Lopetegui was heading towards the exit door, the rumours sending him to Wolverhampton Wanderers started.
Then came that loss against Borussia Dortmund, which was followed by a press conference to bid the manager farewell, leaving the door wide open for Wolves to get their man.
After all, they had struggled to sign a replacement for Bruno Lage after sacking the Portuguese, and the Spaniard appeared to be their favourite to take over.
They tried their luck, but Lopetegui initially turned down the Wolves job, wanting to spend time with his father for a bit first.
However, the Molineux side persisted, and eventually convinced the former Spain national team manager to take over and help them get off the bottom of the Premier League.
He has now had the entire World Cup break to look at what he needs to do, the recruiting he would like to make in January, as well as put his plans in place ahead of the second half of the season, which he sat down with Onda Cero to discuss.
He said: “There were a few times before when I could have gone [to England], but they didn’t happen for various reasons. When we left Sevilla, the idea was to relax, have a bit of calm, but in the end, they seduced me with a very good long-term project.”
He then admitted that the chance to work in Premier League, with their “economic power”, was certainly a draw, and the challenge of getting Wolves back to where they needed to be was seemingly too good to pass up.
Lopetegui also made it clear they firmly believe they can “improve the team”, which technically isn’t that hard considering how poor they have been in the early stages of the campaign.
Still, it shows Wolves remain a very attractive destination for managers, and if the Spaniard does manage to turn things around, it seems the Molineux side have a lot planned with him going forward.
