Sevilla Unveil Former Real Madrid & Spain Boss Julen Lopetegui as New Manager

Sevilla have confirmed that former Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui will become their new manager for the upcoming 2019/20 La Liga season.

After Pablo Machin was relieved of his duties in March, Sevilla were on the lookout for a new long-term manager, and a deal for Lopetegui, who has been out of work since leaving Real in October, has long been in the pipeline.

Sevilla confirmed the news of Lopetegui's arrival in a post on their official website, writing: "Sevilla FC and Julen Lopetegui Argote have reached an agreement so that the coach born 53 years ago in the Gipuzkoa town of Asteasu will lead the Nervión club for the next three seasons. 

"The Basque coach arrives in Seville this Tuesday and will be presented on Wednesday morning."

Lopetegui began his management career with Rayo Vallecano and, after a spell with Porto, he earned the opportunity to lead the Spanish national team after Vicente del Bosque's retirement. He helped the side qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but was not given the chance to lead the side out at the tournament.

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Shortly before the opening fixture, Real Madrid confirmed that Lopetegui would become their new first-team manager after the tournament came to an end. However, Spain opted to part ways with the boss just a matter of days before their opening game, fearing he would not be focused on the job at hand.

His time at the Santiago Bernabeu was certainly not a happy one. Los Blancos endured a torrid start to the season, struggling to impress in the opening two months of the season. 

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Rumours of Lopetegui's imminent departure grew with every poor performance, and a 5-1 defeat at the hands of fierce rivals Barcelona ultimately cost him his job in October.

However, with new sporting director Monchi back at the helm once again, Lopetegui has been chosen to help Sevilla bounce back from their own disappointing season.