Barcelona appoint Ronald Koeman as manager

Koeman, who won four La Liga titles as a player, replaces Quique Setien amid a major overhaul

Barcelona's new Dutch coach Ronald Koeman (AFP via Getty Images)

Barcelona have appointed Ronald Koeman as their new manager on a two-year contract.

Koeman, who spent six years at Barcelona as a player and won four successive La Liga titles, leaves his role as head coach of the Dutch national team, despite initially wanting to lead the country at Euro 2020.

Barcelona have been in turmoil since their catastrophic 8-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat by Bayern Munich, with Quique Setien’s sacking followed by that of sporting director and former player Eric Abidal, before reports emerged that Lionel Messi feels isolated at the club and wants to leave this summer.

Further to that, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets could also be made available for sale, while goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has undergone knee surgery.

Koeman turned down the chance to replace Ernesto Valverde in January, leading to the club appointing Setien.

“Yes, it’s true that Barca spoke to me but I said no because I’m with the [Netherlands] national team and I have a commitment to stay in this role,” he said at the time.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Barcelona said they had reached an agreement with Koeman to take over as first-team coach until 30 June 2022.