“The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano. Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva. FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the club and wishes him all the best in his professional career.”
Barcelon icon Xavi is eyed as “the favorite” to replace Koeman. Is Xavi a good fit for Barcelona?Join the discussion and share your views!
Koeman - who starred for the club as a player and helped them to European Cup glory in 1992 - was installed as manager of Barca in the summer of 2020, with his arrival coming at a time of huge upheaval for a club who had been hard hit financially by the pandemic.
He led Barca to the Copa Del Rey title, but the summer saw the shock departure of Lionel Messi and a cutting of their cloth.
The loss of arguably the greatest footballer to play the game could not be offset, with Barca struggling domestically and in Europe.
As well as being ninth in La Liga, they are third in Champions League Group E after a trio of games.
The search for a new manager will start immediately, with Xavi an early front-runner, but whoever comes in will be taking the reins of a club in a state of flux.
Barcelona this season: Five defeats in all competitions Ninth in La Liga Third in Champions League group 17 goals already conceded One away goal scored in all competitions
◉ 767 games
◉ 117 LaLiga assists
◉ 85 goals scored
◉ 8x LaLiga
◉ 6x Supercopa de España
◉ 4x Champions League
◉ 3x Copa del Rey
◉ 2x Super Cup
◉ 2x Club World Cup
Barcelona will announce new interim coach. Then it’s gonna be Xavi. He has accepted Barça project after talking with president Laporta days ago. Still waiting contract termination process with Al-Sadd.
Five defeats in all competitions
Real Betis Balompié join the teams battling for the title in 
Barcelona are set to pay Ronald Koeman £10m to settle his contract after they sacked him last night. (Source: The Times)
