Xavi and Roberto Martinez among favourites to replace Ronald Koeman at Barcelona

The search is on for the next Barcelona manager after Ronald Koeman was sent packing in the early hours of this morning.

Koeman has been on the brink for weeks, but a Clásico defeat to Real Madrid and a defeat to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday night saw the cards tumble.

Laporta pulled the trigger across the late hours of Wednesday and the early hours of Thursday morning.

The Dutchman now falls into the rear-view mirror, and the search has already begun for a new boss.

According to the latest reports, midfielder Xavi is the most likely to take over, and the bookmakers agree.

Xavi is comfortably the favourite, while Roberto Martinez, Antonio Conte and Erik Ten Haag are among the most likely outsiders early on.

Here is the list of most likely candidates, courtesy of Paddy Power.

Xavi Hernandez – 1/4

Roberto Martinez – 7/1

Antonio Conte – 12/1

Erik Ten Haag – 16/1

Domenec Torrent – 22/1

Albert Capellas Herms – 22/1

Andrea Pirlo – 22/1