Over the past few weeks, the internal disputes that have been going on within the Barcelona board regarding the selection of the next coach have only been more heated.
There is increasing pressure on the Barcelona board to make a decision regarding their choice as we get closer to the end of the campaign.
With regard to Barcelona’s search for a new manager, the sports director Deco and the club president Joan Laporta are two of the most important decision-makers.
Barcelona’s favourite – Luis Enrique
Deco is in charge of going through all of the possibilities and coming up with names to provide suggestions. In the figure of Luis Enrique, the sporting director of Barcelona appears to already have a favorite player.
Enrique is the one that Deco believes has the potential to once again steer the club in the right direction and leave a legacy that will last, despite the fact that there are a great number of German coaches available this summer.
The way Barcelona operates is something that Enrique is quite familiar with, and he had a great deal of success during his first stint at Camp Nou.
According to AS, even Laporta is in agreement with Deco’s selection, and the two of them have come to the conclusion that Enrique will be an excellent substitute for Xavi.
Barcelona face multiple roadblocks
However, securing the services of Luis Enrique ahead of the coming summer will be far from easy. The Spaniard had just joined PSG last summer and it is unlikely that the club would want to offload the manager at the end of the season.
Luis Enrique is a favourite in the Barcelona board (Photo by GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP via Getty Images)
Barcelona are attempting to find solutions and exploring avenues that will allow them to sign Enrique in the coming summer.
Barcelona are not in a position to buy Enrique out of PSG. The problem is exacerbated by the team’s poor relationship with PSG.
Therefore, if Barça are to sign Enrique this summer, they would have to convince the Spaniard to sit down with PSG and reach a conclusion over his future.
No shortage of options
Should Barcelona fail in their attempt to hire the PSG coach this summer, the club are likely to turn to the German route.
Laporta already favours a few of these German coaches, including Hansi Flick, Julian Nagelsmann and even Thomas Tuchel.
Other potential managerial candidates for Barcelona include Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, although the Catalans might not be able to afford the Italian’s hefty release clause.