It’s time to talk about the final Top 3 list of managers who could truly replace Ronald Koeman as the new FC Barcelona manager next week.
Ronald Koeman is the only culprit of the situation he is going through at FC Barcelona, he is set to be sacked within a week. In fact, Sport reported there was a late-night meeting between president Joan Laporta and his board at Camp Nou. Right after the embarrassing defeat against Benfica, the board started working towards a solution. Even though they won’t make a rash decision in the following days, next week will be crucial for the club. In recent weeks we discussed a Top 5 list of managers who could take Koeman’s place.
However, there wasn’t any certainty he would leave the club back then. Yesterday’s defeat completely changed the atmosphere and Koeman is not wanted at the club anymore. After the meeting, the board came out with three specific names in mind who could take the job as soon as next week. This means that the Dutch manager will be present during Saturday’s match against Atletico Madrid at Metropolitano Stadium.
Xavi leads the charts of every poll in Barcelona.
By the time he left the meeting, Joan Laporta already knew that the main favorite to coach FC Barcelona is Xavi Hernandez. ’Mas Que Pelotas’ recently reported a meeting between the novice manager and Mateu Alemany last week. The plan was to let him know that the club is willing to make an effort to bring him back to Barcelona. Xavi is completely willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.
The other names on the shortlist are Roberto Martinez (Laporta’s favorite), and Andrea Pirlo. But the president is aware that the rest of the board favors Xavi to take the position, as the supporters also do. It’s almost certain that Koeman won’t return to coach at FC Barcelona after October’s international break. There is a major possibility of Xavi might reach an agreement by Monday unless he decides against the imminent arrival.