Ronald Koeman was named Barcelona’s new head coach two days after Quique Setien was fired.
The 57-year-old gave up his role as Dutch boss with a two-year contract to sign a two-year deal with the Spanish giants.
He played for Barcelona between 1989 and 1995 and helped them to four league titles and the European Cup.
The Catalans finished second in the league last season and failed to win a trophy for the first time since 2007/08.
The five points behind champions Real Madrid and the humiliating 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League last week culminated in the sacking of Setien on Monday.
The club also announced Ramon Planes as the new technical director. He was the assistant to Eric Abidal, who gave up his role as sports director on Tuesday.
Koeman will speak at a press conference at 5:00 p.m. CET.
Mixed fortunes for Koeman
Koeman got his first impression of coaching when he was assistant to national coach Guus Hiddink during the 1998 World Cup, before becoming Louis van Gaal’s right-hand man at Nou Camp from 1998 to 2000.
He eventually had success as a manager in his home country and won championship titles with Ajax and PSV. A brief stint in Valencia in 2007 brought Copa del Rey success but was sacked after the team were just two points above the relegation zone in La Liga.
After stints at AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord, Koeman was appointed by Southampton in 2014 where he was a huge success, leading the Premier League club to seventh and sixth place, leading to qualification for the group stage of the Europa League.
Everton called in 2017, but his time at Goodison Park was only 16 months. Koeman left the club in the final three.
However, that disappointment was soon forgotten when in February 2018 he was appointed coach of the Dutch national team, which had not qualified for the 2018 World Cup. Koeman led the team to the Uefa Nations League final and helped them qualify for Euro 2020.
| Break in Barcelona – timeline | |
|---|---|
| January 13, 2020 | Quique Setien worked as Barcelona boss for two and a half years as the successor to the sacked Ernesto Valverde |
| 19th January 2020 | Wins his first responsible game as Lionel Messi scores the only goal in a 1-0 win over Granada |
| February 6, 2020 | Eliminated from the Copa del Rey in the Athletic Bilbao quarter-finals |
| March 1, 2020 | Loses El Clasico to Real Madrid, who are at the top of the league above Barcelona |
| July 16, 2020 | Barca give up the La Liga title and lose their 30-game home game unbeaten when Osasuna win 2-1 at Nou Camp |
| August 14, 2020 | Barca suffer a record 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich and are eliminated from the Champions League in the quarter-finals |
| 17th August 2020 | Barcelona sack Quique Setien |
| August 18, 2020 | Ronald Koeman declares interest in a vacant position; Barcelona subsidiary with sporting director Eric Abidal |
| 19th August 2020 | Koeman appointed new Barcelona coach |
