Former Uruguay coach Diego Alonso appears to be the frontrunner for Sevilla as they seek to replace Jose Luis Mendilibar, who was sacked by the club over the weekend.
Alonso, who had a 16-year playing career with spells in Spain at the likes of Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Racing Santander and Malaga, was most recently in charge of the Uruguayan national team but resigned from the role shortly after Uruguay’s disappointing exit from the group stages at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, finishing below Portugal and South Korea in Group H.
Prior to his nine-month spell in charge of his home country, who he earned seven caps for during his career as a striker, the 48-year-old had coached Bella Vista, where his youth career began, as well as Guarani, Penarol, Olimpia, Pachuca, Monterrey and Inter Miami; being that club’s first coach since after they were founded in 2018.
Many may see Alonso’s appointment as a risk as it will be his first managerial job in European football and Sevilla have a few issues, both on and off the pitch.
Some poor transfer windows, led by Sporting Director Monchi who is now at Aston Villa, combined with La Liga’s strict financial rules, means that the club are in a period of cost cutting and saving, despite the re-signing of Sergio Ramos in early September.
On-the-pitch, Mendilibar led Sevilla to a mid-table finish after spending much of last year in a relegation battle with Julen Lopetegui and then Jorge Sampaoli, as well as winning the UEFA Europa League in May. However, after ten matches of this season across all competitions, the Andalusians have managed just two victories and are, once again, concerned about the humiliation of another battle against the drop.
Their 2-2 draw at home to Rayo Vallecano at the weekend sparked the sacking of Mendilibar. Alonso’s first game in charge of the club could be Real Madrid at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, following the October international break.
