Earlier this week, it had looked likely that Raul Gonzalez would leave his post as Real Madrid Castilla head coach to take over at Villarreal, which would have been his first venture into professional football management.
However, the Groguets opted from ex-Real Valladolid manager Pacheta, who signed a contract until the end of the season. It means that Raul must wait to make the next step in his career.
According to reports, Raul was very close to become Villarreal’s new head coach, but he turned down the chance over his commitment to Real Madrid, as well as being unconvinced by the club’s project.
Raul has his sights set on the Real Madrid gig, which is likely to become available at the end of this season, with Carlo Ancelotti’s contract expiring in the summer. Despite this, as Sport have reported, Raul is not one of the leading candidates to get the job.
The report states that Alvaro Arbeloa, who would have replaced Raul as Castilla head coach if he’d left, Xabi Alonso and even Zinedine Zidane are ahead of Raul in the pecking order.
It remains to be seen how Raul’s situation at Real Madrid plays out. His own contract is up next summer, and if he does not become head coach of the first team, he will surely leave the club in search of a new experience.
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