“Former Baggies boss in talks with La Liga club†was originally written on Tuesday, 20th May 2014 13:54 BST for [football] direct news by Andreas Vou
Former West Bromwich Albion manager Pepe Mel is in talks with La Liga side Espanyol over possibly taking over as the new first team boss from next season, according to reports in Spain.
Mel was relieved from his duties at The Hawthorns after narrowly keeping his side in the Premier League and has been linked with several clubs since.
Malaga have previously held talks with Mel over the manager’s position after sacking Bernd Schuster following an average season.
However, with talks going dry in Andalusia, Espanyol look keen on capitalising by offering the former Real Betis manager a chance of working in La Liga once again.
Following the departure of Javier Aguirre, Espanyol have narrowed their options down to three candidates; Mel, former Swansea boss Paulo Sousa and Paco Jemez, according to Mundo Deportivo.
With the latter having a release clause of around £4.7million, the choice is likely to be between Mel and Sousa.
The former West Brom manager has a glowing CV and is highly regarded in Spanish football which could work to his advantage as Sousa is yet to manage in La Liga.
Furtermore, Espanyol director in charge of making the choice, Oscar Perarnau, is said to be a personal fan of his which could prove crucial in the final decision.
© [football] direct news 2014