Official : FC Barcelona confirm Ernesto Valverde appointment
Barcelona has put weeks worth of rumours to rest by finally announcing Ernesto Valverde as manager
The club announced the appointment on the official website at 11:30 on 30th May. This comes after weeks of speculation about the new Barca coach. Valverde was the favourite for a long time. Juan Carlos Unzue, Laurent Blanc, Oscar Garcia and Ronald Koeman were in the running but the board decided on Valverde.
After the announcement, president Josep Maria Bartomeu held a press conference to give his reaction to the development.
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"He said, “Today I have spoken personally with Valverde and he is happy and excited about the challenge of coaching Barca.Valverde has the ability, the knowledge and the experience. He promotes players from the youth teams and he has a style and a way of working like ours. He has a philosophy of the game that is very Barça and he is a hard worker.Also, he is passionate about applying technology to both training and matches.”"
Robert Fernandez handled the negotiations for this move. According to reports, Fernandez began talks as soon as a month after Luis Enrique’s announcement. They finally came to a conclusion with Valverde announcing his departure from Athletic Club.
He is due to arrive on Wednesday (31st May). Photographers will conduct shoots outside the club’s executive offices. He will have talks with the management and familiarise himself with Barcelona.
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But the actual unveiling will take place on Thursday. Valverde will sign a two-year contract with the option of an extra year in the VIP section of the Camp Nou in the morning. The signing will be followed by the official presentation. Then, photographers will conduct shoots on the field. The day will be rounded off by a press conference in the Auditori 1899.