Ronald Koeman will not continue as coach of Barcelona next season according to a report carried by Mundo Deportivo. Roger Saperas, a journalist reporting on RAC1, revealed that Barcelona are 99% sure that the Dutchman won’t lead the club beyond the culmination of this campaign despite the fact he has another year on his contract.
Koeman met with Barcelona president Joan Laporta last Thursday for a two-and-a-half hour lunch, and it’s understood the meeting went well. But the reality of Barcelona’s late-season collapse, where they dropped points against Atletico Madrid and Levante and lost to Granada and Celta Vigo at home to blow a shot at the title, means that the only thing that would save Koeman would be if Barcelona couldn’t find a suitable alternative.
Koeman was never Laporta’s man, with disgraced ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu appointing him in the summer. The Blaugrana have made strides in some ways during a difficult season, winning the Copa del Rey. But ultimately the sentiment emanating from Camp Nou is that Laporta’s decided the time has come for a change.