Barcelona President Joan Laporta used to have a habit of confiding in and seeking coucil from Dutch legend Johan Cruyff regarding big decisions, and it was he who dared him to appoint Pep Guardiola as first-team coach in 2008. Now he has gone to the Manchester City coach for advice.
According to Catalunya Radio, as carried by MD, Laporta asked Guardiola for his advice on who to appoint as their next manager, amid a variety of options, none of which seem to throw up a clear candidate. German coaches Thomas Tuchel, Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann have been posited as Laporta’s preferences so far, while Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi is the other name to have been linked closely with the position.
🚨 Right now, De Zerbi is the coach with the best options to join Barcelona in the summer. @juanjimenista
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 29, 2024
Guardiola reportedly told Laporta that he should appoint de Zerbi, who he has long been an admirer of, and has praised effusively in the past.
This will mean little without the approval of de Zerbi himself. Barcelona are reportedly unwilling, or perhaps unable, to pay Brighton’s release clause for the Italian, which has been placed between €10-15m. If de Zerbi is to move to Barcelona, he will either need to negotiate a lower fee with Brighton, or leave for free, but he could well have interest from Liverpool this summer too.
