- Ronald Koeman, spotted at El Prat Airport, is known to have spent the weekend in Barcelona
- A move for Pochettino would cause divisions in the Camp Nou
The prospect of ex Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino riding into Camp Nou to rescue a club at its lowest ebb in modern history is a sound enough policy in terms of tactics and the Argentinean’s managerial abilities but there is one major stumbling block: Pochettino’s avowed support for Espanyol.
For the second time in 12 months the former ‘parakeet’ player and manager has emerged as a possible candidate to take over the reins at Camp Nou in the almost certain event that Quique Setién is given his marching orders by the board, but there is a deep division running through the club at the mere prospect of a appointing a man who once called Barça icon Xavi Hernández – the preferred choice of the dressing room – an “enemy.”
Player power being what it is at Barça it is likely that they will have the final say but with Xavi still a long way from a homecoming, recently signed a new contract with the Qatari side Al Sadd, and there being a fairly thin pool of potential managers to oversee what will be the considerable job of rebuilding Barcelona, the name of Pochettino must be seriously considered.
Despite being a close friend, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who is increasingly facing calls for his resignation, it understandably reluctant to anger the fan base further by installing Pochettino, who famously once said he would rather return to his farm in Argentina that coach Barça.
In a development on Sunday however, Netherlands National manager Ronald Koeman was spotted at El Prat Barcelona airport adding to speculation that he could be a replacement for Quique Setién.
The Dutchman is one of the great legends in the history of Barcelona, where he played from 1989 to 1995.
As a Barça player, he played a total of 192 games and scored 67 goals, a not inconsiderable figure for someone who played in central midfield.
