There will be plenty of change at Barcelona this summer, but one area that is remaining a constant is the coaching staff.
Ronald Koeman will be back for a second season as manager, club president Joan Laporta confirmed Thursday. Under Koeman, Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, but it was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League by PSG and finished third in La Liga behind Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid despite having ample opportunity to seize control down the stretch of the Spanish league race.
Nevertheless, Koeman will be back after speculation that Barça would move on. Club legend Xavi Hernández has long been linked to the coaching job at Camp Nou, and various reports have suggested that Laporta’s feelings about Koeman are rather lukewarm, but the Dutchman will return for the second year of his two-year contract.
“After this period of reflection, vice president Rafael Yuste and myself have agreed that we will continue with the current contract that Ronald Koeman has,” Laporta said. “We are very pleased to see that these talks have borne fruit in a unity of judgment.”
Laporta has brought on one new element into the club’s technical dealings by luring Jordi Cruyff, the son of Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff, back in a role vaguely described as strategic. Jordi Cruyff has most recently been in China as manager of Shenzhen FC, which followed a brief period as manager of Ecuador’s national team during which he didn’t coach a single game (it occurred during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic). Nevertheless, his connection to the club and experience in both the sporting and technical aspects of the game bolsters Barcelona’s front office personnel.
Thursday’s news comes on the heels of two signings via free transfer, with Sergio Agüero and Eric García joining from Manchester City, and the return of right back Emerson from an extended loan to Real Betis. Koeman’s continued presence may have something to do with the next two expected arrivals on free transfers: Georginio Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay. Koeman coached both during his time in charge of the Netherlands national team, and he’s been open about his desire to bring Memphis, in particular, to Barcelona.
The two main questions still facing Barcelona this summer revolve around Lionel Messi’s future and which players make way for the slew of additions that have already arrived and will be following. The club remains heavily in debt, and the sale of some of its high-priced talent would go a long way to clearing some of it. All indications are that Messi, whose contract runs through the end of the month, will be staying put a year after declaring his intentions to leave. Despite Laporta’s promise following the end of the season that “it’s the end of a cycle. We are entering a process of renovation,” though, it would appear that the coach and iconic star will remain constants as the club moves forward—all while the European coaching carousel spins in full force elsewhere.
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