Barcelona have announced the appointment of Ronald Koeman as the club’s new manager.
Koeman has stepped down from his role as the Netherlands manager and will replace Quique Setién, who was sacked by the club on Tuesday.
Koeman has signed a two-year contract at the Nou Camp, and will be also unveiled by the club at around 5pm (BST) this evening.
Ronald Koeman Latest to Take Barcelona Role
Ronald Koeman a Former Barcelona Player
Koeman joined Barcelona in 1989 and was a peripheral figure of Johan Cruyff’s dream team, which dominated Spanish Football in the early 90s.
He won ten major honours at the club, including four consecutive La Liga titles between 1991 and 1994. He also helped Barcelona to their first European Cup in 1992, and scored the winning goal against Sampdoria at Wembley.
Koeman left the Spanish giants in 1995, before returning three years later as assistant manager.
Thoughts on the Appointment of Koeman
It’s no surprise that Barcelona have appointed a former player as their new manager. Five of their last seven appointments have been former players, including Frank Rijkaard, Pep Guardiola and Ernesto Valverde, who was sacked in the middle of last season.
You can understand why the Catalans made this appointment, they wanted someone who knows the club and Koeman is someone who knows the club very well.
But what is surprising is the length of the contract – just two years. Last week’s 8-2 humiliation by Bayern Munich in the Champions League highlighted the many underlying issues at the club. From the boardroom to the playing staff, there are many cracks.
With many players in the twilight of their careers, too, there is a need to rebuild the side. If they are to reach the heavy heights like they did under Guardiola and Cruyff, changes need to be made. Whether two-years is enough is a question in itself.
But you cannot deny the work the Dutch legend has done in recent years. In particular at Southampton, where he helped the Premier League side to two Europa League qualifications.
His role as the Netherlands’ National team manager shouldn’t go unnoticed either. In what was one of the lowest points of Dutch football (failing to qualify for Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup), Koeman guided them to the final of the inagural Nations League in 2019 and the 2021 European Championships.
It’s a huge appointment from Barcelona. But, nonetheless, they will be hoping that Koeman can lead the club through another era of success.
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