Next Barcelona manager: 3 replacements for sacked Ronald Koeman

Barcelona sacked Ronald Koeman and now need a new coach. Who could be in the running to be the next Barcelona manager in La Liga?

Barcelona has made a habit out of dominating La Liga and competing at the highest level in the world but, simply, that hasn’t been the case of late. So the club made the decision after Sunday’s loss to Rayo Vallecano to sack manager Ronald Koeman.

Though there had been backing from higher-ups at Barca, the fact of the matter is that Koeman had led the club to just three wins in their last 10 matches across all competitions. That’s not going to get it done and, now, it’s onto searching for the next Barcelona manager.

Who could that be? There are no shortage of potential candidates who have already been rumored but these three possible coaches appear as if they could be the most likely to replace Koeman and patrol the sidelines of Camp Nou.

Next Barcelona manager: 3 possible hires with Ronald Koeman sacked

3. Albert Capellas

Currently working in the youth academy for the club, Barca president Joan Laporta could look to Albert Capellas as a quick option to assume Koeman’s duties. Given the youth on the club’s first team right now, bringing in someone with the capability to work with young players and develop them could be valuable.

With international experience as well, Laporta could turn to Capellas as, at the very least, a short-term option to lead the team for the rest of this season. Perhaps it’s only in an interim role but it’s a possibility Capellas will be in charge in some capacity in the near future.

2. Roberto Martinez

Reports when the possibility that Koeman could get sacked really started to heat up at the end of September were that Laporta was in favor of hiring current Belgium National Team manager Roberto Martinez to take over. And it’s a hire that would make sense if the club could convince him to leave his current job.

At the same time, that could be a tough sell. Though he’s experienced at high levels having managed Everton for several years before taking over the Belgium side, the fact of the matter is that he doesn’t play the 4-3-3 Laporta has demanded and he simply may not want to leave his current job given what’s upcoming in 2022 with the World Cup, in addition to other tournaments.

1. Xavi Hernandez

The man who seems like the favorite to succeed Koeman as the next Barcelona manager has to be club legend Xavi Hernandez.

Xavi, after spending most of his playing career at Barca, finished his final years at Al-Sadd SC in Qatar. In 2019, he took over as their manager and has experienced quite a bit of success, which is why he’s been linked to taking over for Koeman for some time now.

Again, he’s not Laporta’s choice but he could well be the best option for the club. Not only would supporters be fully in favor of the move and give the new manager ample time to build with the proud club but he could be a breath of fresh air for a Barcelona side that’s clearly in need of such a thing in their current state.