Sheffield Wednesday: New Rio Ave boss Carlos Carvalhal explains why he rejected ‘several offers’ from clubs in England

Carlos Carvalhal has revealed he turned down "several offers" from clubs in England before taking over at Rio Ave.
Ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos CarvalhalEx-Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal
Ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal

The former Sheffield Wednesday head coach returned to his native Portugal earlier this week, having been out of work since Swansea City's relegation from the Premier League in May 2018.

Carvalhal, who spent two and a half years at Hillsborough, leading the Owls to consecutive play-off campaigns before departing in December 2017 by mutual consent following a seven-match winless run, was linked with the likes Celtic and Queens Park Rangers in recent months.

Ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos CarvalhalEx-Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal
Ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal
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He said: "I made no secret of the fact that I wanted to stay in England and I received several offers from clubs there.

"But the most important thing for me was for someone to show their willingness to have me at their club."

The 53-year-old has worked with various media outlets over the course of the last 12 months but regularly expressed a desire to get back into management.

And fresh from agreeing a one-year contract with Rio Ave, Carvalhal officially began his duties on Tuesday.

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Wolverhampton boss Nuno Espirito Santo and Reading head coach Jose Gomes have both previously managed the Portuguese team, who are based in the northern town of Vila de Conde.

They finished seventh in the league last term but opted not to renew the short term contract of boss Daniel Ramos.

Carvalhal added: "The president showed real interest in me and my coaching staff and that was a key factor in my decision."