Barcelona manager who will succeed Ernesto Valverde

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has admitted that he is unsure whether his future lies in Catalonia.

The former Athletic Bilbao manager has been a brilliant successor to Luis Enrique, winning a domestic double last season.

When recently asked about his future, Valverde said, per AS: “I do not know what I will do next season.

“In this football, who knows? We all know how things are. I never think long or long term.

“For us, two months are a very long term. If you win a game, everyone is happy and if you lose, everyone is watching you.”

Barca managers aren’t exactly renowned for their longevity at the club and Valverde has been criticised at times during his reign despite delivering trophies.

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Some believe his tactics are too defensive and there is also a consensus that Valverde isn’t too bothered by young players in the La Masia academy.

So who would the supporters want to replace him if he were to leave before the 2019/20 season?

Well, Marca ran an official poll which attracted 70,000 votes from Barca fans. Nine realistic managerial options were included.

 

The winner with 31% was Xavi Hernandez, while Quique Setien – Real Betis’ manager – was a close second with 30% of the votes.

Third-place was surprisingly Belgium boss Roberto Martinez with 13% – the former Everton man was actually linked with the Real Madrid job after Julen Lopetegui’s sacking.

Arsene Wenger and Thierry Henry both earned 5% of the votes, while Jordi Cruyff and Ronald Koeman received 4%.

Unsurprisngly, the bottom two were Laurent Blanc (3%) and former Barca man Frank de Boer (1%).

So there you have it, Xavi is the man the fans want in the hot-seat sooner rather than later.

The legendary midfielder is still playing out in Qatar with Al Sadd, so it may take him a few more years to earn such a prestigious managerial job.

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