Spain will have been looking to maintain the winning formula for their 2026 World Cup campaign that took them to success in Germany last summer. However La Roja will be forced to alter things, as they will be missing some key ingredients from their previous triumph.
On Wednesday the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced that assistant manager Pablo Amo would be leaving the national team coaching staff. According to Diario AS, Amo will be leaving for Qatari side Al-Arabi, where he will earn a remarkable €5m net per year in what will be his first head coaching job. Previously he had been courted by Saudi Arabia, turning down their approaches, but this time the offer proved too succulent to turn down for Amo.
He was a key part of their success with de la Fuente, and was often in charge of tactical discussions at Euro 2024. He will also be joined by fitness coach Carlos Rivera, and youth match analyst Hector Rincon, both of whom were highly rated by the RFEF. At Al-Arabi, Amo will be taking charge of the likes of former Real Betis winger Rodri and ex-Paris Saint-Germain star Marco Verratti.
De la Fuente has wasted little time in lamenting Amo’s departure, and commented that he had encouraged his friend and colleague to take the offer.
🚨 𝗢𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 | Gracias por todo, Pablo.
El hasta ahora segundo entrenador de la @SEFutbol, Pablo Amo, emprende una nueva aventura profesional.
La @rfef le agradece todos estos años de dedicación y le desea lo mejor en este desafío.
ℹ️ https://t.co/dlREqhfJYm pic.twitter.com/APhcfs6zru
— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) February 12, 2025
“The offer to Pablo Amo is very good, very important, and I encouraged him to accept it. He has decided to go try his luck and we are all celebrating. I’m sure he’s going to do it very well, because he’s very good. We were together yesterday [Tuesday] until late, having a small wine, and as soon as he left, I was already focused on my things and organising everything.”
Meanwhile there is plenty of talk about former Real Madrid and Athletic Club defender Rafa Alkorta, who has been working as a pundit for Spanish radio of late, taking over as Sporting Director for La Roja. De la Fuente admitted he had a friendship with Alkorta, but noted that it was not a done deal yet. The Spain coach himself recently extended his deal until 2028.
