Barcelona Set To Announce Koeman As Manager

Barcelona will appoint Holland boss Ronald Koeman as their new manager and the announcement will be expected ‘very soon’, with Quique Setien set to be sacked after the club’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern.

Former Everton boss Koeman emerged as the Catalan side’s key target in the wake of the Champions League quarter-final humbling, and the club plan to install him as the new man in the dugout this week after Setien’s departure has been confirmed. 

According to Dailymail, ex-Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino had also been touted as a possible candidate for the role despite vowing to never take over after managing rivals Espanyol, but now Koeman is set to take the side forward into a new era.

The Dutchman played for Barcelona for six years during a highly successful career that saw him win LaLiga four times, as well as the Copa Del Rey and European Cup.

He featured 350 times for the Spanish giants Koeman and continues to carry his Barcelona affections with him everywhere he goes. The 57-year-old even has a personalized ‘BAR’ number plate on his black Bentley Continental to reference his link to the club. The 57-year-old also spent time as assistant manager to Louis van Gaal between 1998 and 200 – only increased his desire to become the main man.

He has made no secret of his hopes to return to the team in a managerial capacity, confirming he had a clause in his contract with the Netherlands team that allowed him to move to Barca after Euro 2020.

Even though the competition has been delayed until 2021, Koeman earlier this year told Marca that the terms of the deal still stood.

“The clause in my contract to go to Barcelona is for after the European Championship. 

“No date has been mentioned, so now it’s after the European Championship in 2021. But I haven’t thought about it for a second anyway.’ 

One of his first jobs after taking control of his beloved side will be to convince talisman Lionel Messi to commit his future to the club. 

The Argentine has become frustrated with the hierarchy during a disappointing campaign and has been linked with moves to Italy and the Premier League.

His rise to one of the top jobs in football marks a spectacular turnaround for Koeman, who was axed as Everton boss in 2017 – leaving the Toffees in the relegation zone after a string of poor results.  

But he managed to rebuild himself after being appointed as manager of his national side the following year – lifting an underperforming the team who had failed to qualify for Euro 2016 and the World Cup 2018 by securing qualification to Euro 2020.

With Barcelona now in a state of crisis, it is their club the icon they turn to as they seek a similar rejuvenation following a miserable campaign. 

After their hammering by the Bundesliga side on Friday night, one of the worst in the club’s history, Barca were left reeling, with Setien left as a dead man walking. His sacking by the club is inevitable and expected imminently.

The former Real Betis manager was only appointed in January to replace Ernesto Valverde. Setien, 61, struggled with the pressures of managing the Nou Camp club as they lost out in the LaLiga title race to Real Madrid and exited the Copa del Rey at the quarter-final stage to Athletic Bilbao.

It was the first season since 2007-08 that Barcelona failed to win any silverware.

And there was little chance he would be kept on in the wake of Friday night‘s eight-goal hammering at the hands of Bayern in Lisbon as Barcelona’s Champions League hopes were shot to bits.

At the full time on Friday night, Setien told reporters: “Right now we feel enormous frustration and all we can do is make conclusions and think about the future. 

“Barca is a club that is so great that this will cause us a lot of damage and obviously some things will have to change.

“The truth is this is a tremendously painful defeat.

“Barcelona want to recover their identity.  Right now, it’s too soon to think about whether I will stay or not. It doesn’t depend on me. We have to reflect, taking the situation into account and the importance that such a humiliating and painful defeat means.

“I’m hurt, evidently, by such a hefty defeat. The way it came about has been tremendously painful.

“I’m not worried about my future right now, but a defeat that is very painful for the club and the fans.’I know what a defeat of this calibre means.”