Ernesto Valverde’s best replacement rejects move to Barcelona

Ernesto Valverde’s job at Barcelona is still very much under the scanner, but the Catalans have reportedly been rejected by potentially his prime fill-in.

Barcelona are currently on top of La Liga Santander following their thumping win over Alaves in the Camp Nou. Nevertheless, the reason for them being placed first is also down to Real Madrid dropping points at crucial stages and were it not for that, Ernesto Valverde would have been sacked and not under scrutiny since a long while ago.

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The former Athletic Bilbao failed in his tactical setup during El Clasico and also admitted to the Merengues being the better side in Barca’s latest droppage of points. La Liga has always been looking easy for the Blaugrana, but after years of failure, they are keen on winning the Champions League this season and failure in doing so could see Valverde get the sack.

River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo was closely linked with the Barca job some weeks back, but nothing materialized with the Argentinian as Valverde ended up staying. Moreover, Manchester City’s poor displays meant that Pep Guardiola’s future at the Etihad Stadium also came under the torch and he has been linked with a move to Barca since.

Premier League’s defending giants are third in the race for the title and all rationalities point to it being a race between Liverpool and Leicester City now. The ex-Bayern Munich boss will turn his attentions to the Champions League, but a date against 13-time European champions Real Madrid awaits the Citizens in the round of 16.

Should Pep Guardiola end up leaving Manchester City at the end of this season, Diario GOL reports that it may not be back to Barcelona as he could reject them in favour of Paris Saint-Germain. Thomas Tuchel is currently doing a great job in France, but would be fired in case the Parisians end up dropping out of the Champions League again this year.

Pep would go to the Ligue 1 and win a nearly guaranteed domestic league and also give it a go in the Champions League with a refurbished squad. Moreover, following Mikel Arteta’s exit to Arsenal, the former Barcelona boss may find himself needing Xavi as an assistant coach, and the Al Sadd boss himself has requested Pep to go to PSG.

Xavi does not see a future for himself in Qatar and is not even a fan favourite, so in order to get his managerial skills honed in Europe, he wants to be an assistant to Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard’s connections with the Qataris may help him in getting the Paris Saint-Germain job and since it’s a low pressure league as well, he may have a say in big matters with Pep.

On the other hand, Barcelona’s board is looking to bring in Pep Guardiola back to the Camp Nou during 2020 in order to strengthen their bid to be re-elected in 2021. Josep Maria Bartomeu is anyway disliked by the fans, but hiring Pep could be a major statement from him and he may end up keeping his post as President for a few more years.

If not Pep Guardiola, who is the next best alternative to replace Ernesto Valverde as the coach?