Barcelona speculations makes me uncomfortable, confesses Ronald Koeman

Barcelona speculations makes me uncomfortable, confesses Ronald Koeman

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With Barcelona looking to replace Ernesto Valverde, the La Liga giants have shortlisted Ronald Koeman as an option but the Dutchman is unhappy with the speculation. The former Barcelona star spent eight years with the club as a player and as an assistant manager before his managerial career started.

While Ernesto Valverde has won two La Liga titles at Barcelona alongside a Spanish Super Cup and a Spanish Cup, his tactics and managerial performance in the Champions League has been abject. It includes a quarter-final and a semi-final exit to AS Roma and Liverpool respectively despite Barcelona walking into both games with a considerable advantage. That combined with various other issues has seen the club not consider handing him a new contract but instead allow the Spaniard to see out the remainder of his current deal.

However, with the search for replacements on Barcelona have shortlisted two potential options in Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman. It’s the latter who is their prime target with Pochettino having already revealed that he may never join Barcelona in part thanks to his loyalty to former side Espanyol. Koeman spent eight years at the club as a player and then as an assistant manager to Louis van Gaal between 1998 and 2000. That combined with a clause in his contract with the Dutch international team that does allow him to leave for Camp Nou following the Euro 2020 has helped the club’s cause.

But in an interview, Koeman went on to dismiss the speculation linking him with a move away and even claimed that he still has two years left on his contract with the Netherlands. The Dutch manager also added that he’s uncomfortable talking about a potential move away as he’s only focused on his current job which is helping Oranje win their first trophy since the 1988 Euros.

"I have two more years left on my contract with the national team and I do not like to talk about Barcelona. It's uncomfortable for a lot of reasons; I currently have a job and it's not fair to talk about this. If they come, they come; and if they don't, they don't. There are more important things [to worry about] in life, but never say never," Koeman said, reported Goal.

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