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Ronald Koeman is no longer the manager of Barcelona. The club relieved the 58-year-old Dutch coach on Wednesday, just hours following another embarrassing defeat, this time away from home at Rayo Vallecano. According to CBS Sports insider Fabrizio Romano, the Blaugrana club held an emergency meeting with president Joan Laporta and the board immediately after the result to determine Koeman’s fate.
Romano reports that the Barcelona board has already been in touch with Xavi for weeks about the club legend replacing Koeman, but Barca is still waiting to proceed with talks. Another name in consideration is Roberto Martinez, who is currently managing Belgium in European qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The club released the following statement:
FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach. The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano. Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva.
FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the Club and wishes him all the best in his professional career.
Koeman, a club legend best remembered for his playing days in the early 1990s, took over as manager in August 2020 and managed to win the Copa del Rey in his first season despite leading the team to a disappointing third-place finish in La Liga. The pressure carried over in the offseason when the club could not keep Lionel Messi on the squad due to salary cap restrictions thanks in part to a lengthy era of financial mismanagement under previous presidential leadership.
Without Messi, Barcelona are in the midst of a rebuilding period with several young, promising players — Pedri and Ansu Fati, for starters — already signed long-term with the club.
Barcelona are currently in ninth place in La Liga and have lost four of their past five league matches,…
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Source : cbssports
