Villarreal eye Raul as new manager; Arbeloa could be promoted to Castilla

Villarreal are looking for a new manager after parting ways with Quique Setien this week, following a poor start to the season. The Yellow Submarine have lost three of their first four games in La Liga, and the dressing room was not happy with Setien’s control over the personal lives of the players, according to a report in Spanish media outlet Relevo.

One of the candidates to replace Setien is Raul Gonzalez, the current manager of Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team of the Spanish giants. Raul is a legend at Real Madrid, where he spent 16 years as a player and won six La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies. He is also the third all-time top scorer for the club with 323 goals and the fifth highest scorer in Champions League history with 71 goals.

Raul has been in charge of Real Madrid Castilla since 2019, where he has shown his potential as a coach. He has developed many young talents from the academy and has given them a clear identity and philosophy. He has also led his team to the promotion playoffs in the last two seasons, although they have fallen short of reaching the second division.

According to reports in Spain, Raul is interested in taking the next step in his managerial career and is considering Villarreal’s offer — something he didn’t do when presented with offers previously from Schalke and Leeds. If he were to leave now, Real Madrid would immediately promote Alvaro Arbeloa — the club’s Juvenil A coach — to Castilla.

Villarreal see Raul as a young and ambitious coach who can bring back the excitement and enthusiasm to the club. They also value his experience and knowledge of La Liga and his reputation as a winner and overall important figure in Spanish football.

If this deal were to happen, it may happen quickly, as Villarreal would like to have a new head coach by the time their next game vs Almeria rolls around on September 17th after the international break. According to Marca, Raul will be meeting with Villareal on Friday to see if a deal can happen, although it should be noted Raul is not the only candidate to coach the Yellow Submarine.