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Barcelona have sacked Quique Setien as coach, the membership confirmed on Monday, with Ronald Koeman the frontrunner to be his alternative. “The new coach will be announced in the coming days as part of a wide ranging restructuring of the first team,” Barca mentioned on Twitter. Setien was solely appointed in January however has paid the value for Barca surrendering the La Liga title to Real Madrid after which being humiliated by Bayern Munich within the Champions League. His exit was finalised throughout an emergency board assembly at Camp Nou, which lasted nearly six hours and noticed Koeman emerge because the favoured option to take cost.
The membership additionally introduced subsequent yr’s presidential elections, scheduled for June, might be introduced ahead to March 15.
Angry supporters had hoped they might be held instantly however that risk was dominated out, which means under-fire president Josep Maria Bartomeu will proceed.
“After analysing all the options, the Board considers that this (March 15) is the most viable date for holding these elections,” the assertion continued.
“The Board understands that the immediate call for elections is not feasible considering the league will begin on the weekend of September 12 and due to the economic and social framework caused by the Covid-19 crisis.”
Setien’s successor will nonetheless be beneath strain to ship rapidly given a brand new board subsequent yr may set up their very own coach, with Xavi Hernandez linking himself to rival presidential candidate Victor Font.
Koeman has been answerable for the Dutch nationwide staff since 2018 and is because of lead them on the postponed European Championship subsequent yr and the World Cup in 2022.
Mauricio Pochettino was additionally thought-about however his earlier feedback dismissing Barca on account of his hyperlinks with rivals Espanyol have counted towards him.
Koeman and his agent have been negotiating a two-year contract on Monday evening, in line with reviews in Spain, with the second yr depending on the end result of the presidential elections.
He enjoys hero-status at Barcelona after starring for them as a participant beneath Johan Cruyff and scoring the successful aim within the 1992 European Cup remaining.
But his teaching profession has been blended and he would arrive at a membership in disaster, with one in all his first duties to influence captain Lionel Messi to not depart.
Messi future unsure
Shortly earlier than the board assembly started on Monday, sources at Barcelona insisted the membership had not heard something from Messi about wanting to go away.
But the 33-year-old has grown more and more annoyed in current months and a report from Esporte Interativo on Sunday claimed he has made up his thoughts to discover a new membership this summer season.
Gerard Pique mentioned he would depart if it was needed and it is nonetheless not identified which gamers are thought-about surplus to necessities.
Any restoration is likely to be targeted on youth, with Ansu Fati, Riqui Puig and Frenkie de Jong main the subsequent technology.
Koeman will know the dimensions of the problem at Barcelona, the place an ageing staff ended up misplaced beneath Setien, who did not persuade the gamers of his strategies.
Setien oversaw 16 wins, 4 attracts and 5 defeats from his 25 video games in cost.
Despite the occasional high-scoring win and a few eye-catching spells of the possession soccer he craves, Barcelona have been additionally ponderous, disjointed and defensively weak.
Before the three-month suspension, they misplaced the Clasico to Real Madrid and after it, they drew towards Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid.
After defeat by Osasuna successfully handed Madrid the title, Messi vented his frustration, pointedly saying the staff had been a large number since January, which was when Setien was appointed.
Setien, in the meantime, admitted he had by no means managed a dressing room like Barca’s and few place the blame for the membership’s decline at his toes.
Most of the followers’ fury is directed at Bartomeu and the board, who’ve alienated the dressing room and made too many errors within the switch market.
Promoted
There was no point out of sporting director Eric Abidal within the membership’s statements and it seems he’ll proceed for now.
Abidal drew public criticism from Messi in February after suggesting the gamers have been chargeable for the sacking of Ernesto Valverde. He can also be believed to have been key to the appointment of Setien.
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