At Barcelona, everyone assumes that Ronald Koeman will no longer be on the bench as a trainer in a few weeks, it assures Goal. There is agreement on the dismissal of the trainer at all levels. The big question is only when is the right time to confirm Koeman’s departure. Barcelona has not yet found a successor and given the busy schedule, the Dutchman will stay put for the time being, it sounds like.
Koeman saved a point at home against Granada (1-1) with his team on Monday evening thanks to a late goal by Ronald Araújo, but has all but dispelled the doubts about his staying on. Joan Laporta made it clear in May when he became president of Barcelona that Koeman, who was appointed by his predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu, was not his favorite coach. Last summer, Laporta already wanted to say goodbye to Koeman, but there were no financial resources at the time.
Especially thanks to the departure of Emerson Royal to Tottenham Hotspur and Antoine Griezmann to Atlético Madrid, Barcelona got some financial air. The club has the means to evict Koeman, who is entitled to a hefty transfer fee of six million euros, but is waiting for the right moment for the time being. Barcelona will be in action four more times in the next two weeks, definitely not an ideal time for a replacement to take over. Barça will visit Cadiz on Thursday and a home game against Levante will follow on Sunday. Three days later the Champions League match at Benfica follows and three days later the top LaLiga visit to Atlético Madrid.
The expectation of Goal is that Koeman will at least finish that series of four games, after which the international break could be ‘a good time’ to break with the coach. In any case, Laporta does not want to appoint an interim trainer, not even until January: Koeman’s successor must be a big name who immediately starts on a long-term project. The problem is that the most obvious candidates are already tied to an employer.
According to Goal and ESPN Roberto Martínez tops the list of both Laporta and Jordi Cruyff, Barça’s technical adviser. However, Martínez is stuck with the Belgian national team until the World Cup in Qatar and his arrival seems far away. Xavi’s name is also singing around, but Al-Sadd’s current trainer is reportedly not Laporta’s favorite at the moment. Sources from Barça report to Goal that two trainers are still in the picture: one with an ongoing contract, the other without an employer. The names of those two candidates are unknown.