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Seville is the protagonist of an unusual situation. The club has Julen Lopetegui as coach and he will appear on the bench this Wednesday in the Champions League. At the same time, the board chose Jorge Sampaoli as his replacement and he will arrive in Spain in the coming hours to sign an agreement.
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According to information from the newspaper Marca, the top management of the Andalusians reached an agreement with the former coach of the Albiceleste. With the deal practically closed, the leaders also decided to keep the Spanish strategist in charge to face Borussia Dortmund.
Lopetegui will be dismissed as coach even if he wins against the Germans on the third day of the Champions League. This while they wait for the arrival of the Argentinean, who must land in Spain on Thursday to sign the papers that formalize his return to Nervión. By then, Julen should have already received the official communication about his departure.
Sampaoli and Sevilla, a month of conversations
Sampaoli and Sevilla is not something new. The South American has always been seen as a potential replacement for Lopetegui in case the Spanish doesn't turn things around with the team. In September of last year, before playing against Espanyol in LaLiga, the first contact was made for the return of the winner of the Copa America with Chile.
Since then, Pepe Castro, president of the Andalusians, has directly contacted the professional from Casilda to offer him the position. Furthermore, they have dialogued about how to approach the rest of the campaign: signings for January, tempting qualification for an international tournament, etc. Therefore, the FIFA international break was key to making a decision.
Details of the Sampaoli-Sevilla contract
The Argentine must sign for two years and will be accompanied by people he trusts. In fact, the plan is to start as soon as possible to obtain results that allow the Andalusians to distance themselves from the relegation zone and continue on a continental level: whether it's in the Champions League round of 16 or the next stage of the Europa League.