3 perfect replacement for Ronald Koeman at Barcelona
3. Erik ten Hag
One of the best options right now for Barcelona would be Ajax’s current manager, Erik ten Hag. We have spoken about Ten Hag before and how he could have replaced Koeman, however now it might become a reality. Although there is little chance of him actually leaving Ajax to come and coach Barca, we can always keep our fingers crossed. Ten Hag is a brilliant manager who specializes in creating a team from the ground. The team that he has created in the Eredivisie is one of the best teams we have seen in the league for a very long time.
The amount of dominance Ajax has over the league can only be explained via the recent 5-0 victory over their closest rivals in the league, PSV. However, this was not always the case and Ajax was full of youngsters who were talented but were not going in the right direction. Ten Hag managed to create a squad of amazing youngsters and a few experienced players to make Ajax the most dominant team in the league. Even after losing important players such as Frenkie de Jong, Mathis de Legit, Donny Van de Beek and Hakim Ziyech, they continue to perform miles above everyone else in the league.
Ajax’s fairytale UEFA Champions League run in 2018/19 was all thanks to Ten Hag’s brilliant managerial skills and the team has not slowed down either. Yes, Ajax were knocked out in the CL group stages last season however, this season, they have managed to remain unbeaten in the group stage so far and they have even scored five goals against a tough Borussia Dortmund side. So should the Barca board manage to tempt Ten Hag to come to Catalonia, it would be amazing for the development of the youngsters; however, it is unlikely that he will actually leave his project in the Netherlands.