Spain announce new coaching staff including Luis de la Fuente’s son after departures to Qatar | OneFootball

Spain have wasted little time in replacing the outgoing members of their coaching staff, after exits for Pablo Amo, Carlos Rivera and Hector Rincon. They have elected to promote from within rather than look elsewhere to substitute the trio above.

It was announced on Wednesday that Amo would be leaving to become head coach of Al-Arabi in Qatar, with a reported €6m per season net offer on the table. In addition, first-team fitness coach Carlos Rivera and youth team analyst Hector Rincon would also be following Amo to his Middle Eastern adventure.

The RFEF have announced the Juanjo Gonzalez will be replacing Amo as de la Fuente’s assistant. He has been part of the Federation setup since 2013, with roles as an assistant manager, an analyst and goalkeeping coach in the youth categories with both men’s and women’s football. Previously Gonzalez was an analyst under Luis Enrique and de la Fuente.

Image via RFEF

Another addition is Alberto de la Fuente, the son of the current manager. De la Fuente junior joins as an analyst, having joined the RFEF setup in 2022. After four years as part of the Huesca analysis team, Alberto de la Fuente has been part of Santi Denia’s under-21 coaching staff, which was also in charge of their victory in the Olympics in Paris last summer.

De la Fuente senior was positive about Amo’s move, noting that he encouraged his colleague to take the role. It remains to be seen how they will fare without him at the helm, as he has been credited with much of the tactical work that brough La Roja success in Euro 2024, and the Nations League the year before. Spain are for many one of the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup, but will now have to adapt without some of the brains behind their recent triumphs.