Koeman was sacked on Wednesday night
Barcelona wasted no time in sacking Ronald Koeman on Wednesday night, after a 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano proved to be the final straw for the Dutchman.
Radamel Falcao scored the only goal of the game, turning Gerard Pique inside out before slotting the ball past Marc Andre Ter-Stegen, and the club announcement confirming Koeman’s dismissal came just three hours later.
BREAKING: After defeat to Rayo, Ronald Koeman has been sacked by Barcelona pic.twitter.com/SauEZbqtWB
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) October 27, 2021
He had been close to the exit door for weeks, before back to back defeats against Real Madrid and Rayo, which left the club ninth in the league table, forced the board’s hand.
According to numerous reports, the club are now looking to another club legend, Xavi Hernandez, to take the reins at the Camp Nou. The former Barça midfielder is currently in charge at Qatari club Al Sadd, and has impressed his former employers with an attractive style of football.
There have been whispers of Xavi being reluctant to take charge given the current state of the club’s finances and underwhelming squad options, but Marca are reporting that he is keen to take the job.
The only stumbling block, in this case, will be which of his staff in Qatar he brings with him, and the fee that Barça pay Al Sadd to free him from his contract.
Other names in the frame include former Everton boss Roberto Martinez and River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo. Ajax’s Erik Ten Hag has also been linked, for obvious reasons, but one would assume he would prefer to stay put at the Johan Cruyff Arena at this moment in time.
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