Laporta sends ominous message as Koeman’s Barcelona fate to be decided next week

Martin Macdonald

• 28 May 2021 11:22 BST
• 3 min read

Ronald Koeman’s fate as Barcelona head coach could be decided next week after president Joan Laporta revealed that a meeting is to take place to discuss the Dutchman’s future.

The former Everton and Netherlands boss took over at Camp Nou in the summer after the tenure of Quique Setien, who took Barcelona to a 2019/20 season which was their least successful in 12 years.

READ MORE: Barcelona president Joan Laporta provides major contract update on Lionel Messi

Though Koeman guided Barcelona to a decent run through the middle of the season to put them into title contention, they ultimately fell away towards the end of the campaign, with Atletico Madrid winning La Liga on the final day.

The Blaugrana would finish third, and Europe wasn’t much better as they were eliminated at the last-16 stage by Paris Saint-Germain.

The spectre of Xavi has also long been lingering over Koeman, with the former Barca captain widely expected to return to the club as head coach in the near future.

Earlier this week Koeman’s agent suggested initial talks with the club had gone well and that he could actually remain as head coach beyond not only this summer but also next.

What did Laporta say about Koeman?

However, Laporta’s words will not be particularly comforting for the current boss, as the Barcelona president has suggested that the club will decide next week whether or not he will be kept on.

“At Barca there are no transitional seasons,” Laporta told the media on Friday.

“We have respected the season in which we have arrived and as we told the coach, in the end we would value and then we will comment and evaluate the decisions for the future.

“We have always acted with the utmost respect for Koeman, a Wembley legend and a professional who is doing his job. At the end of the season we will evaluate and work for the next season.

“We have arranged to see each other next week.”

Throughout the press conference Laporta was continually asked about Koeman’s future, but the Barcelona president did not give a definitive decision on his head coach, simply saying he had huge respect for him.