Aragones ‘listens to Sevilla offer’
Former Spain coach says he is talking to La Liga club after sacking of Manolo Jiminez.
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| Aragones is thrown in the air by his players after winning the Euro 2008 final [GALLO/GETTY] |
Luis Aragones is chewing over a return to Sevilla following the sacking of coach Manolo Jimenez.
Club president Jose Maria del Nido told the As sports daily he had met Aragones in Cordoba and that the sides were thinking things over for a day.
“If I have come to Cordoba it’s because I am interested in Luis, but we’ll both now think it over,” Del Nido was quoted as saying by As.
“We have given ourselves 24 hours.”
The 71-year-old Aragones, who led Spain to victory at Euro 2008 and had a previous spell as Sevilla coach in the mid-1990s, told the paper earlier in the day that he was due to meet Del Nido for a meal.
“I am excited about the idea of coaching and now I’ll go and listen to what Sevilla offer me,” he said.
Sevilla sporting director Ramon Rodriguez also said on Wednesday that the club expected to name a new coach in a matter of hours and As said Aragones would agree a contract through to the end of next season.
The club could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday, when former Denmark international Michael Laudrup was also reported to be in the running.
Out of work
Aragones, out of work after leaving Turkish club Fenerbahce at the end of last season, has coached Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Espanyol, Real Betis, Valencia, Real Oviedo and Real Mallorca.
He also played for Atletico, whom Sevilla will play in May’s Copa del Rey final.
Sevilla sacked Jimenez after his side were held to a 1-1 draw at home by basement side Xerez on Tuesday.
The Andalusians suffered a surprise European Champions League exit to CSKA Moscow last week and Tuesday’s La Liga draw with Xerez meant they had failed to win in seven matches in all competitions.
The club are fifth in the Primera Division on 45 points, one behind Real Mallorca, who occupy Spain’s fourth Champions League qualification spot.
Nacho Oria and Ramon Orellana, members of Jimenez’s coaching staff, will oversee training while the team looks for a new coach, the Sevilla website reported.
In Jiminez’s first season he led the team to a fifth-place finish, followed by a third-place finish last year.