Sevilla will allow Julen Lopetegui one more game to save his job

Sevilla will make a final decision on the future of head coach Julen Lopetegui after their upcoming fixture against Espanyol, according to Radio Marca.

The under-fire Spanish manager, who has seen his side take just one point from their four games, is on the verge of facing the axe at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Sevilla are yet to record a win this season, with just a draw and three losses in La Liga. They also suffered a 4-0 home defeat to Manchester City in their Champions League Group G opener.

It was thought Lopetegui would be fired after the loss to Pep Guardiola’s men, but the Sevilla hierarchy have given him one more chance to save his job. 

Lopetegui has guided Sevilla to three consecutive top-four finishes in La Liga since he joined the Andalusian outfit in 2019. He also won the Europa League in 2020.

However, he has overseen Sevilla’s worst start to a season in the club’s history, with the team sitting in 17th place.

The former Porto manager could argue that he lost several key players during the transfer window, and rightly so, with Jules Kounde, Diego Carlos, Lucas Ocampos and Luuk de Jong all departing the club this summer.

However, Sevilla have brought in Tanguy Nianzou, Marcao, Kasper Dolberg, Isco, Alex Telles and Adnan Januzaj to bolster the squad. 

None of those names have been able to help him win a match this term.

If they fail to record a win in their next game, they will almost certainly drop into the relegation zone, which will spell the end of Lopetegui’s tenure as Sevilla’s head coach.

The former Real Madrid manager is popular amongst the Sevilla faithful, and the club is hoping he can turn his side’s fortunes around when they face Espanyol on Saturday. 

Sevilla are interested in Mauricio Pochettino, who is also a managerial candidate for the vacant hot seat at Chelsea this season.