Sevilla appoint Sampaoli - Lopetegui favourite to take over Wolves job?

This article first appeared on Oct. 6 and has been updated throughout the day with new information.

Right after their 1-4 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla have released head coach Julen Lopetegui. “Julen Lopetegui is no longer Sevilla’s head coach,” the club announced on Wednesday night via Twitter. The 56-year-old, however, never had a chance as the club had made the decision to release the coach ahead of the game. Lopetegui is now the favorite to take over Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sevilla, in the meantime, appointed Jorge Sampaoli on Thursday.

“A lot is going through my head,” Lopetegui said. “I have plenty of good memories and lots of different emotions. I will think about the city, the fans, the players, and much more.” After the game, he was sent back from the dressing room onto the pitch to wave goodbye to the fans. Lopetegui took the curious release with humor. “Today, well, at least officially,” Lopetegui said, asked when he found out that he was going to let go.

Sampaoli will now take over after being without a club since he left Olympique Marseille at the end of last season. This is the Argentine's second stint with the club. Sampaoli has coached Sevilla during the 2016/17 and averaged 1.75 points in 53 games and is considered a high-risk appointment by sporting director Monchi. Monchi hired Lopetegui in 2019, and the club finished in the top four in the last three seasons and won the Europa League in 2019/20.

Lopetegui headed to Wolves? - Favorite to take over

Lopetegui too is unlikely to remain without a job for long. The 56-year-old is considered the favorite to take over the Wolverhampton job by the bookmakers in Britain. Sky have reported that despite Lopetegui's recent troubles at Sevilla, Wolves still value the coach highly and would like to appoint him sooner rather than later.