Valverde has not been the most popular figure at Barcelona and he seems to be on the brink of departing the club. These could be his replacements.
Ernesto Valverde has failed to endear himself to the Nou Camp faithful since his arrival at Barcelona. He is currently on his third season with the Catalans and whilst he has managed to secure LA Liga titles the long elusive Champions League victory has continued to elude the club.
Remarkable collapses against Roma and Liverpool from big leads in the quarter finals and semi finals of the competition must still haunt Valverde at night and with Barca having already suffered three defeats this season and are currently in inconsistent form the Catalans board’s patience must run out soon.
With more than capable managers currently available on the market to take over from Valverde it wouldn’t be surprise to see the Spaniard leave the club soon. Although one of their perfect candidates has now been given a new job.
Nevertheless, here are five very capable candidates who could potentially become the next Barcelona manager.
1. Erik ten Hag
The Ajax coach is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best young managers in the world right now. He has done a remarkable job at Ajax since taking over in 2017 and developing a free-flowing attacking playing style which took the Champions League by storm last season.
Ten Hag masterfully secured a 4-1 win over Real Madrid and led his Ajax side to the Champions League semi-finals in which they were very fortunate to lose against Tottenham.
Not only that Ten Hag managed to do this with a very young team and his knack for bringing through youth players into the first team is something very reminiscent of the way Barcelona like to run their club and the team’s ethos.
Ten Hag could be the perfect replacement for Valverde and a very inspired and ambitious move. With Ajax and Barcelona having had a great relationship over the years it will further forge the two club’s ties together and Ten Hag could also bring out the best in Frenkie De Jong as well as bringing through more of Barcelona’s abundance of youth talent from La Masia.