Barcelona has made a quick turnaround, picking its new manager in Ronald Koeman, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano. Koeman, who manages the Netherlands national team, will have to resign his position to take over at the Catalan club. The official announcement is expected to happen sometime this week, once Ronald Koeman has made his resignation official.
The move comes only two days after firing Quique Setien after an 8-2 defeat to Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich in the quarterfinal stage of the UEFA Champions League.
It didn't take long for Setien to get the ax, a move that was brewing well before an embarrassing defeat against a team that had no issue ripping the net on Friday with a dominant win that put them in the semifinals.
Ronald Koeman was one of two major prospects to take over Barcelona, along with former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino. Others like former midfielder Xavi and former Barca manager Pep Guardiola (now with Manchester City) were rumored to be among external options.
Barcelona has put the vast majority of its players up for sale, for the exception of Lionel Messi and a handful of others. Center back Gerard Pique volunteered to be among those axed if the club was to make drastic changes, citing that Barcelona had hit “rock bottom” and possibly needed a fresh start without some of the key players.
Ronald Koeman will be tasked with defibrillating this squad and injecting new life into the La Liga powerhouse after a series of disappointments have kept it from being “the best team in the world,” as midfielder Arturo Vidal so vividly claimed after a smack-a-thon on Friday's Champions League clash.
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