BARCELONA FC: CONTE, XAVI OTHERS LINED UP TO REPLACE KOEMAN

 

Barcelona line up Conte, Lou, Xavi, Pirlo as Koeman's replacement

Pirlo as Koeman's replacement

Ronald Koeman

Ex-Inter Milan and Chelsea coach Antonio Conte and ex-Juventus Andrea Pirlo are speculated to be on a target list to replace under-fire Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman.

Koeman has come under greater pressure following his side’s 3-0 Champions League defeat at Benfica and the loss to Bayern, by the same margin.

Spanish newspapers also reported that Barcelona mid-field legend, Xavi, is under consideration.

And so is ex-Germany coach Joachim Low, according to Barcelona-based journalist Gerard Romero.

Xavi currently manages Qatari club Al Sadd and led them to the semi-finals of Asia’s Champions League in 2019.

Earlier reports said the Barcelona board summoned an emergency meeting today after the Lisbon mauling of the Catalan giants.

The Catalans were beaten 3-0 in Portugal as things go from bad to worse for the cash-strapped side who are expected to sack Koeman.

The club has struggled with financial issues with debts reportedly around the £1.15billion mark.