What’s the story?
Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed that they will be appointing a "super coach" in the summer. Luis Enrique announced yesterday that he was leaving the Catalan side after this season ends.
"This summer, we'll get a super coach. We'll continue to work with total discretion, calmly and normally, until June 30 and then we will announce who it will be. We will try to announce his successor on July 1 and focus on the trophies at hand for now." said the president while talking to Barça TV.
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Bartomeu also made it clear that Enrique's decision to quit was not a spontaneous one. He had reportedly informed the club directors about him not continuing after this season even before the season began!
"We have to be very happy for the work he has done until now, and accept his decision and hope that the season finishes in the best way possible, with winning trophies. In the summer, he told [sporting director] Robert Fernandez and [director] Albert Soler that he might not continue and this week he told us, and he considered it the right time to communicate it to the players" said Bartomeu.
In case you didn’t know...
Luis Enrique has decided to quit Barcelona after three years in charge. He's won all the trophies he's managed Barcelona in during his tenure.
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona player was appointed as coach in the summer of 2014 after the departure of Gerardo Martino. He won the La Liga in his first two seasons and is now challenging Real Madrid to the title once again.
However, reports suggest that he has lost the dressing room and the players do not want to work under him. Many journalists claim that Enrique's decision to leave Barcelona is solely because of the players who have lost faith in him.
The heart of the matter
Barcelona are on the hunt for a new manager following the decision that was taken by Enrique to quit at the end of the season. The Catalan giants are eyeing a move for Sevilla manager, Jorge Sampaoli.
Apart from Sampaoli, who is said to be Messi's favourite manager, Pep Guardiola, Eusebio Sacristan and Ronald Koeman are said to be the favourites for the Barcelona managerial post.
Some reports also claimed that Messi phoned Guardiola and asked him to return as he believes that the Manchester City manager is the only one who can fix the damage at Camp Nou.
What’s next?
Barcelona will hold talks with several managers and try to find the ideal one for them. The players and the board want someone to who can follow the 'Barça philosophy' and guide the club back to the top of the European charts.
Sportskeeda’s Take
From what Bartomeu has said, it looks like they have already agreed a deal with a 'super coach' to replace Enrique. For a president to be so confident in his first interview after Enrique's announcement, it just doesn't seem to be a morale boosting talk.
