Several candidates’ names have popped up in the past week, linked to the head coach job at Barcelona. The incumbent Ronald Koeman is under increased scrutiny and could be replaced by Roberto Martinez at the helm.
The Catalans are evaluating the position of manager, following a string of poor results and off-field difficulties. Philipp Cocu, Antonio Conte and Andrea Pirlo have been linked with the job recently – but Sport reports the top candidates to take over from Koeman, should he be sacked, are Roberto Martinez and Xavi Hernandez.
Martinez is the incumbent head coach of the Belgian national team – a position he has occupied since 2016. During this period, Martinez has led the Red Devils to a third-place finish in the World Cup 2018 and a quarter-final appearance in the Euro 2020. Xavi, meanwhile, has enjoyed success with Al Sadd in Qatar, whom he led to a league title in 2020/21.
While Xavi is the desired option for many of the Barcelona board members to be the next first-team head coach, president Joan Laporta would prefer the Spaniard to coach the B-team first. Xavi’s links to Victor Font, who ran against Laporta in the presidential race, have made things even more difficult while the former player himself isn’t too keen on coaching the Barcelona reserves. Instead, Laporta wants Martinez to replace Koeman at the helm, should the club decide to sack the tactician in the coming days.
Laporta’s readiness to appoint Martinez goes as far back as this summer, when the Barcelona president tried and failed in his attempt to replace Koeman. Martinez’s obligation to the Belgian national team made a switch difficult, especially with the European Championships around the corner. In the present, the Spaniard remains Laporta’s preferred option to take over the first-team for a long-term project, and the club could appoint him after the October international break, during which Belgium are scheduled to play in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Martinez’s assistant for the Belgium National Team, Thierry Henry, is also on the list of potential candidates to replace Koeman. Barcelona contemplated appointing Henry – their former player – as a replacement for Ernesto Valverde a few seasons ago, only to eventually turn to Quique Setien due to the Frenchman’s inexperience as a manager.
Henry has since had spells in charge of AS Monaco and Montreal Impact, sandwiched between his role as the assistant head coach of Belgium.
