Quique Setién
The 60-year-old Spaniard has a managerial career spanning more than twenty years. He was first hired by La Liga side Real Betis in 2017, who he led to a spectacular sixth-place finish during their first season.
Setien struggled during his second season with the club finishing at the tenth place that year. During this time, however, he did manage to become the first coach since 2003 to beat both Barcelona and Real Madrid at their home ground during the same campaign.
Quique had previously been linked with Barca exactly one year ago, but nothing got finalized between the two parties. He has, however, publically displayed his desire to come to Camp Nou.
Marcelo Gallardo
Gallardo was recently a strong contender for the role, but recent confirmation from the Argentine stating that he will remain with River Plate for another season makes it difficult to believe he would leave the Argentinian club next summer.
The 43-year-old took over River Plate in 2014, succeeding the most successful manager in the club’s history, Ramon Diaz. In 5 seasons, the Argentine managed to surpass Diaz’s success. He also managed to find hidden talents who are now among the most elite of the current young generation of football. These two reasons made him a great replacement for Valverde as Barcelona are not only keen on improving the first-team but also promoting promising talents from La Masia.
Who would you like to see as the next Barcelona manager?