Luis Enrique’s announcement that he will be stepping down as Barcelona manager come the season’s end will have repercussions far beyond Camp Nou, now that the search for his replacement begins in earnest. While Sevilla’s excitable Argentinian boss Jorge Sampaoli is the favourite to take over from Enrique, Premier League gaffers Mauricio Pochettino and Ronaldo Koeman have both been mooted as possible successors.
A linchpin of the Barcelona side with which the the late Johan Cruyff won the 1992 European Cup, Koeman looks a future Barça manager in waiting, but signed a new three-year deal with Everton just a few months ago. Pochettino has previously responded to suggestions he might one day leave Tottenham for Barcelona by joking that he “was born with a bull on my arm”, a reference to his successful career as a player and manager at the Spanish club’s city rivals Espanyol.
Athletic Bilbao’s 53-year-old coach Ernesto Valvarde is also believed to be on Barcelona’s shortlist, along with Real Sociedad boss Eusebio Sacristan. The name of Arsène Wenger, soon to be out of contract and perhaps ready for a new challenge away from Arsenal, has also been mentioned in passing. Considering his history of nurturing young talent, many of them Barcelona cast-offs, Wenger could be just the man required to help recalibrate the currently malfunctioning production line at their La Masia academy.
In other managerial manoeuvring, reports from Stamford Bridge say Antonio Conte’s “people” have already begun talks on a new and improved deal to keep the Italian at Stamford Bridge until 2021. Conte signed a three-year deal worth £6.5m per annum in the summer, but with Inter reported to be trying to turn his head with an offer of a £10m salary, his current employers may feel compelled to hose him down with more and more cash to make sure he stays.
Following his EFL Cup final heroics at Wembley last Sunday, the Mirror reports that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is hopeful of signing up with Manchester United for another two years. The 35-year-old has the option to extend his current contract for another year, but his agent Mino Raiola is understood to be intent on making hay while the sun is shining and is confident that he’ll be able to broker a deal of twice that duration. With 26 goals to his name in all competitions already this season, Zlatan is in an extremely strong bargaining position – Manchester United’s next most prolific goalscorer is Juan Mata, who has nine.
Of course it’s no secret that Manchester United have been long time suitors of the Atlético Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann, but Tottenham Hotspur fans will be none to pleased with the Daily Star’s claims that United will switch their attention to Harry Kane if their fiendish plan to bring the Frenchman to Old Trafford unravels. Spurs are also being linked with full-back turned outcast Luke Shaw, who would surely welcome the release of having his Old Trafford dream-turned-nightmare brought to a merciful end.
Chelsea institution John Terry will sever his ties with the club to head off to the USA and play out his dotage with LA Galaxy, while Valencia have decided they’d quite like to sign recent West Ham flop Simone Zaza from Juventus on a permanent deal. Juventus are reported to be looking for €16m for the striker and will put any funds raised in their Bring Alexis Sanchez To Turin jar. Speaking of West Ham, the London Stadium lodgers are ready to double the wages of their Wandsworth-born midfielder Michail Antonio to £70,000 per week in a bid to keep him out of Chelsea’s clutches.
And finally, the Leicester Mercury reports that Guus Hiddink, touted as a potential replacement for Claudio Ranieri, has had no contact with the Premier League champions. Out of work since filling the José Mourinho-shaped void at Chelsea last season, Hiddink does however remain open to the possibility of returning to management. “I think Leicester has done very well after the resignation of Ranieri with the assistant coach [Craig Shakespeare],” he told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “Because they get an immediate reaction from the players. They proved that against Liverpool. I have had no contact with Leicester.”
