3 potential replacements for Ronald Koeman at Barcelona

Xavi Hernandez (Current Team: Al Sadd)

The club legend has been on Barcelona’s radar for quite a while now and everyone thought that Hernandez would have been brought in after Quique Setien was sacked by the club last season. Alas, ex-President, Josep Maria Bartomeu decided that Koeman would be a better choice due to his years of managerial experience. Now it seems like Hernandez is once again linked with the Catalans and could replace the Dutch manager.

Hernandez is a Barcelona legend and was the definition of a perfect midfielder. The player thrived under the super manager, Pep Guardiola and it is safe to say that he learnt a lot from his former coach. The player is currently managing a Qatar-based club named, Al Sadd SC. He has deployed similar tactics to Guardiola at Al Sadd, and the team has thrived under his leadership.

Xavi has a distinct possession-based attacking game style, similar to his time at Barcelona. Al Sadd keeps nearly 64% possession in all games and have completely dominated the Qatar Stars League. The team has scored 77 goals in just 22 matches and have conceded just 14 times. The player has transformed into an attack-minded manager similar to Pep and his connections with Joan Laporta and other members in the Barcelona board makes him a highly suitable manager for the Catalan side. He is the most likely person to replace Koeman and even if he does not replace Koeman next season, he will definitely come back to Barca one day as their head coach.

It is true that the Spaniard has extended his stay with the Qatari side until 2023 but many reports have suggested that a special clause in his contract allows him to leave for Barca at any given time.