Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu gave his initial thoughts on the announcement of Luis Enrique leaving the club in the summer.
After this season ends, Luis Enrique will leave Barcelona to take a break from managing. The news came straight from Lucho at the post-match press conference on Wednesday. Despite his love for coaching, Lucho is going to take a break from the coaching world. Even with the turbulence surrounding the team, Barca defeated Sporting Gijon 6-1 on Wednesday. Many have given their reaction to this unexpected decision from Lucho. However, the most important reaction came from Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu. He gave his first thoughts on the decision to reporters.
"“We have to accept the manager’s decision and support him. In the summer he communicated to Albert Soler and Robert Fernandez that this could be his last year and the other day he told us that he wouldn’t continue and decided this was the ideal moment to reveal his decision. Now we have to focus on the next three months. But Luis Enrique will leave in the summer and we’ve had a super manager for these last three seasons.More from Everything BarcaFC Barcelona tracking Belgian WonderkidFC Barcelona vs Betis Player RatingsBarça boss Xavi to get contract extensionFC Barcelona planning swoop for Arsenal midfielderBarcelona interested in €30 million wonderkidBartomeu On Luis Enrique’s Tenure"
Lucho has done so many great things in his tenure with the club. The 2014/15 season will never be forgotten by Barca fans. It started with the team clinching the La Liga title against the title holders (at the time) Atletico Madrid. Then, Lionel Messi put on a scintillating display against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa Del Rey final. To top it off, Barca won the Champions League against Juventus to complete their European Treble.
"“It’s a sad situation because he’s a good coach who has given us success. The players are motivated, as we’ve seen. There are three competitions and tomorrow there’s training. We have to keep working until the end of June. We will work with discretion, but we will work. There are important games coming up and we will try to work with discretion. We have won eight of 10 titles. It’s unbeatable and there’s still this year left. No-one should doubt that he’s one of the great managers of the Barcelona idea.”Bartomeu On What’s Next For Barca"
Next: Lucho to Leave Barcelona
Overall, Bartomeu gave some nice statements about the soon-to-be outgoing Barca manager Luis Enrique. He appreciated the work he’s done for the club and the fans should too. Despite the early success for Lucho, this season has been very turbulent and not to the Barca standard. However, the fans can’t say that Lucho didn’t do anything for the club. He has been very successful over the last three years with all the trophies the team has won. Not many managers can say they won the treble in their first season at a big club. Lucho is one of them and the fans should be appreciative of what he’s done for the team.