Former Real Madrid Castilla coach Raúl has become one of the candidates on Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen's shortlist for a new head coach.
Previously, Dutchman Erik ten Hag was sacked after just three matches in charge of Leverkusen. Since last Sunday, the club's top management has been actively searching for his replacement and plans to make a final decision later this week.
Leverkusen is currently considering three main candidates, with Raúl being one of them. His name has been officially included in the coaching selection agenda and discussed repeatedly in multiple meetings between the club's senior management and sports management team.
In addition to Raúl, the candidate list also includes former Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzić and former RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose. Leverkusen has not yet made a final decision. As this week coincides with the international break, the club has been given more time to carefully evaluate each candidate, avoiding another unsatisfactory choice like the appointment of ten Hag.
Raúl is no stranger to the Bundesliga. During his playing career, he played for Schalke 04 and enjoys a high reputation and wide recognition in German football. In fact, several Bundesliga teams have extended coaching offers to him in the past; even
Schalke 04 was once interested in hiring him as the club's head coach. However, he turned down these offers because the teams failed to provide contract terms that met his expectations, and Raúl hoped to become the head coach of Real Madrid's first team after his tenure at Castilla.
It is worth noting that all of Raúl's coaching experience so far has been accumulated within the Real Madrid system. He not only led Castilla for a long time but also guided Real Madrid's youth team to win the club's first-ever UEFA Youth League title, demonstrating excellent coaching potential.
