Atleti and Manchester United eyeing Luis Enrique
The Federation has several candidates in mind in the event that the Asturian leaves after the World Cup - Valverde, De La Fuente and Marcelino.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have several candidates in mind should Luis Enrique decide to quit the national team post after the World Cup, a scenario that is becoming increasingly more likely. The fact that the Asturian coach travelled to Qatar without renewing his contract, one worth 3.5 million euro a year, is an indication that he could be contemplating leaving. The RFEF suspect that they will have to look for a replacement. Sports director, José Francisco Molina has already drawn up a list of candidates just in case.
Three offers - two from the Premier League
Luis Enrique has three offers on the table, in addition to the opportunity to extend his contract with the RFEF - two from the Premier League (Manchester United is believed to be one of them) and another from Atlético Madrid. Miguel Ángel Gil is interested in hiring the Spaniard, whom he attempted to sign a couple of years ago. Gil feels that Luis Enrique is the coach who would best fit the position when Simeone leaves. Not only for the style of football his teams play, but also for his character. At the time, Luis Enrique promised Atlético’s CEO that he would keep the offer in mind for the future. And he is a man who keeps his word.
RFEF president Rubiales dodged the first questions about Luis Enrique’s future as best he could yesterday. “I am not even thinking about Valverde or Marcelino in the metaverse. I like Luis Enrique. Regarding his future, we will have to wait for the World Cup to end,” he explained to reporters.
Taboo subject
The previous night, during his most recent post on Twitch, the coach was vocal about the subject of his future in his own inimitable way: “I don’t want to hear anything about it. It’s the least interesting thing for me and for all of us who are part of the national team. The objective is to enjoy a great World Cup and give the best performance we can. After that, we will have plenty of time to see what we can do and how we have done”. In both cases, the responses of both the RFEF president and the coach sounded like excuses they had agreed to wheel out until the World Cup is over. However, it’s clear that Luis Enrique has taken his team to the World Cup without renewing, and that is something that had not happened in the last 30 years of the national team’s history.
That’s why Molina has started looking for alternatives and already has several names on his list. Three coaches have an advantage over the rest: Marcelino, Valverde and Spain’s Under-21s coach Luis de la Fuente. Unai Emery was also an option but has since been ruled out following his recent move to Aston Villa.