Pretty much the only workers in Spain making any kind of decent money these days - legally, that is - are contract lawyers. These legal eagles have been locked in boardrooms around the country trying every tactic from clauses only visible to themselves to blubbing uncontrollably in order to get their football manager clients out of their current inconvenient deals.
Of course, the whole process will be repeated again in a yearâÂÂs time probably, with the same itchy footed clients, but for the moment there are quite a few clubs looking at filling their managerial vacancies by pinching somebody else's coach.
Sevilla are the latest to pull off such a trick, by unveiling Marcelino - the manager who had only just rejoined Racing for a second spell back in February - as the Andalucian club's third new boss in a year. The coach with the most famous duffel coat in the land was tempted to Sevilla by the chance of managing in Europe and working at a club with a lot less confusion and confrontation behind the scenes, having fallen out with Racing owner Ahsan Ali Syed. âÂÂHe cheated us and broke all of his promises,â fumed Marcelino after departing the side from Santander for a second time in three years.
Despite being a flat-capped, whippet-fancying northerner, Marcelino has headed south to put an errant club back on the straight and narrow, in what he called âÂÂthe most exciting project of my career" at TuesdayâÂÂs presentation.
Another side who have filled a managerial sized hole are Real Sociedad, who looked north to France for their recruitment drive, picking up Valenciennes coach Philippe Montanier, a manager who lead Boulogne into the top flight for the first time in 2009 and hauled his latest team into mid-table.
While all this has been going on, Atlético Madrid are still left without a manager. The clubâÂÂs two bickering leaders, Enrique Cerezo and Miguel Angel Gil, are currently flitting between Luis Enrique - who now looks likely to take over at Roma having previously coached BarcelonaâÂÂs B team, JoaquÃÂn Caparrós - who is waiting to see where he stands in Athletic BilbaoâÂÂs upcoming presidential elections, and the currently unemployed Gregorio Manzano.
However, AS published a readers poll last week which suggested Luis Aragonés was the fans' preferred choice. The former national team coach won 38% of the vote, although that figure may well have been inflated thanks to cheeky Real Madrid fans hoping for even more comedy down at the Vicente Calderón next season...
Getafe have been trying to pry LLLâÂÂs manager of the year Luis GarcÃÂa from Levante, but their main man had some problems getting himself out of his current contract in what the Valencia side perceived to be a hostile approach from the Coliseum club.
âÂÂI would have liked to have had a call from the Getafe president,â complained Levante big wig Quico Catalán. âÂÂI donâÂÂt have to phone him,â retorted Angel Torres, âÂÂI donâÂÂt negotiate clauses. I said IâÂÂd sign a coach who was available and IâÂÂm waiting for him to cancel his (current) contract and bring him in.âÂÂ
That now appears to have happened with Levante announcing that Luis GarcÃÂa would be moving on after three years in charge of the former Segunda Division side to leave just the red-and-white striped side in Madrid with an empty hotseat.
