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Barcelona: 5 possible replacements if Ernesto Valverde is sacked

By Kevin Parvizi

BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 05: Ernesto Valverde of FC Barcelona close the eyes during the UEFA Champions League group F match between FC Barcelona and Slavia Praha at Camp Nou on November 05, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Eric Alonso/MB Media/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 05: Ernesto Valverde of FC Barcelona close the eyes during the UEFA Champions League group F match between FC Barcelona and Slavia Praha at Camp Nou on November 05, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Eric Alonso/MB Media/Getty Images) /
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Holland coach Ronald Koeman during the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifier group C qualifying match between Belarus and The Netherlands at Dinamo stadium on October 13, 2019 in Minsk, Belarus(Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images)
Holland coach Ronald Koeman during the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifier group C qualifying match between Belarus and The Netherlands at Dinamo stadium on October 13, 2019 in Minsk, Belarus(Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images) /

Ronald Koeman

If Barcelona are willing to wait until after the 2019-2020 season to fire Ernesto Valverde, then they could make a move for a former club legend in Ronald Koeman. The current manager of the Netherlands, Koeman has stated that he’d be willing to consider managing La Blaugrana once he’s completed his duties with the Dutch national team at Euro 2020.

Koeman has been managing since 1997 as an assistant manager for the Netherlands before moving onto an assistant gig with Barcelona. His first role as an actual manager came in 2000 with Vitesse. It would be fitting if he moved on from the Netherlands to Barcelona in the same way that he did as an assistant, especially since these were the teams he represented as a player.

As a manager, Koeman won the Dutch Eredivisie three times with two different clubs and even won the Copa del Rey with Valencia about a decade ago. His La Liga experience and familiarity with the club could be beneficial, but his resume is lacking in comparison to the other candidates Barca will review, such as Gallardo.

Erik ten Hag

Although Ajax manager Erik ten Hag denied interest in the Chelsea and Barcelona openings before the summer started, plenty of managers have changed their minds in a year’s time. He could be a more realistic candidate to leave Ajax for a new challenge in the summer of 2020, though Barca wouldn’t be the only team pining for ten Hag in that case.

There is no doubt that ten Hag is one of the most highly-regarded young managers in the world. What he’s done with Ajax is nothing short of sensational, as this club has been playing some of the highest-quality football in Europe over the past two Champions League campaigns.

Maybe more importantly from Barcelona’s perspective, ten Hag is renowned for his ability to mold the next generation of stars. Matthijs de Ligt became one of the world’s best young center backs under ten Hag’s guidance, Donny van de Beek is currently on a world-class trajectory, and current Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong began his development in Amsterdam.

Ten Hag will be difficult to coax from his current position, but Barcelona may be one of the few clubs in the world that stand a chance at convincing him to make the switch.

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