Barcelona, Oct. 28 (BNA): With its coffers running out and a crucial Champions League game looming, Barcelona were looking for a new coach on Thursday after appointing an interim coach following the sacking of Ronald Koeman.
The Spanish club said that reserve coach Serge Barguan will lead the team temporarily until it finds a permanent replacement for Koeman.
Barguan is a former Barcelona defender. The club said he will be at the training center for Saturday’s La Liga game against Alaves, according to the Associated Press.
Former midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who has been linked for years with a return to the club that helped him rise to his highest levels as a player, appears to be the prime candidate to take over on a full-time basis.
Xavi turned down the opportunity to coach Barcelona in January 2020 when former president Josep Bartomeu, who quit amid scandals a year ago, offered him the position after Ernesto Valverde was sacked mid-season.
Next week, Barcelona face a trip to Ukraine to face Dynamo Kiev in a match they will need to win to boost their chances of continuing their two-decade long run to reach the Champions League knockout stages.
Koeman justified defeats against Bayern Munich, Benfica, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid this season by saying his team was no longer among the European elite after financial troubles forced them to forgo the salaries of Lionel Messi and other top talents.
He also insisted that injuries among his attacking players limited his effectiveness.
Less than a month ago, club president Joan Laporta publicly supported Koeman, asking fans to be patient while the team undergoes a rebuilding project.
But Koeman’s tally ran out after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano, the unbeaten rival Barcelona since 2002. Barcelona, the team that has dominated La Liga for the past two decades, is ninth in the standings.
Koeman, a former defender, took over Barcelona when it felt its economic crisis after a devastating 8-2 loss to Bayern at the end of the 2019-20 season that cost his predecessor Quique Setien his job. The Dutchman was remembered as a fan favorite after the winning goal in the 1992 European Cup Final.
Koeman, 58, led Barcelona to the Copa del Rey title last season, but was knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16 and finished in La Liga in third place.
However, Koeman laid the foundation for a renewed Barcelona by bringing young Pedri González, Gavi Páez, Ronald Araújo and Oscar Mingueza to the starting lineup and making Ansu Fati one of the team captains alongside veterans Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba.
Koeman quit his job coaching Holland to return to Barcelona, a fact Laporta also mentioned when giving him the execution delay. He has previously coached several teams, including Everton, Southampton, Valencia, Benfica and Ajax, among other Dutch clubs.
The 49-year-old played for Barcelona as a left-back from 1993 to 2002 before ending his football career with Atlético. He was appointed as a reserve coach for Barcelona in July.
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