Barcelona had a track record of not sacking their managers for more than 15 years until they sacked Ernesto Valverde last year in January. Quique Setien was appointed as the new manager for the remainder of the season. However, Barcelona performed poorly under Setien. They lost out on the league title and were thrashed 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Setien was sacked with immediate effect. In such a situation, Ronald Koeman joined Barcelona by paying $5 million out of his own pocket to the Dutch federation. He joined Barcelona at the start of the 2020/21 season and it took some time for the team to adapt to the new system. He was criticized by many for sidelining La Masia gem Riqui Puig.
However, the team found their mojo back in January and won several important games to contend for the league title. But as the league campaign came towards the end, Barcelona failed to capitalise and bottled their chance of winning the league. The current Barcelona board under Joan Laporta haven’t been happy with Koeman and they are planning on replacing him. According to various reports, Barcelona has already begun looking for replacements and has notified Ronald Koeman of their plans. If Laporta fires Koeman, Barcelona will be compelled to pay an €8 million compensation, which will be difficult for the club to swallow given their €1.2 billion debt. If the team is unable to finalise the arrival of a new coach over the next few days, Koeman will be retained for another season.
So, if Koeman gets the sack, who are candidates to replace him at the club? Let’s find out.
1. Xavi
Xavi is the current manager of Qatar side Al Sadd, who recently went unbeaten in their league campaign and lifted the title. In his first season in charge, Xavi won three trophies and is on track to win all six available in his second. He won the Qatar Cup and the Qatari Stars League this season. Xavi has always been regarded as a possible Pep Guardiola-type figure at Barcelona, someone who could come in and reclaim the identity that the current Manchester City manager instilled in his players while in command at the Camp Nou. For some time, Xavi has dominated Barcelona news, with many regarding him as the ideal prospect to lead the club into the next decade.
2. Roberto Martinez
Roberto Martinez, Belgium national team’s coach, has been mentioned as a prospective replacement for Ronald Koeman as Barcelona coach. According to ESPN, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has selected Roberto Martinez as one of several managers who could replace Ronald Koeman. Martinez is preparing to lead Belgium's golden generation to victory at Euro 2020. Martinez, according to ESPN, is "comfortable where he is" and would prefer to stay here, but he does have a clause in his contract that allows him to leave if a large club comes knocking. The contract for the 47-year-old, who is also the technical director of the Belgian Football Association, runs through the end of 2022.
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3. García Pimienta
He is FC Barcelona's longest-serving coach. Since 2001, He has been coaching from the club's U16 to the Barca B squads. He has influenced numerous generations of players as a coach and specialist on the Barça model, including the likes of Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto, Thiago, Ansu Fati, Riqui Puig, Moriba and others. Pimienta previously helped Barca’s Juvenil A lift the UEFA Youth League, winning 3-0 in the final against Chelsea. Barcelona B is still in the midst of a promotion battle, but Pimienta has them playing some fantastic football. Garcia Pimienta is adamant about putting the Barcelona ideology into practice, as well as training and raising youth. Pimienta is an excellent all-around coach who understands the club inside and out. He could be a good choice for the first-team coach.
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