Barcelona have appointed Ernesto Valverde as their head coach on a two-year deal, with an option for a third.
Former Barca forward Valverde announced last week that he was leaving Athletic Bilbao after four years in charge. He replaces Luis Enrique, who revealed in March that he would leave the club; who finished second in La Liga – at the end of his three-year contract.
Enrique led Barcelona to the treble in his first season, the domestic double in 2016 and the Copa del Rey this year. They beat Alaves 3-1 in Sunday’s final – his last match in charge.
Valverde’s presentation as Barca’s new coach will take place on Thursday.
Ernesto Valverde’s History as Manager
Valverde stepped down from his role in charge of Athletic Bilbao last week having led the Basque club to seventh place in La Liga and Europa League qualification.
He has also managed Villarreal, Valencia and BarAaas city rivals Espanyol in a varied coaching career that included two years in Greece with Olympiakos. Valverde also had a two-year spell as a Barcelona player in the late 1980s and will now return to the Camp Nou after a 27-year absence.
The Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, said: a?Valverde has the ability, the judgment, the knowledge and the experience. He promotes the youth players and he has a BarAa way. Ernesto is a hard worker and he is a fan of using technology in training and in managing matches.”
a?He was not the only name on the table. From the moment Luis Enrique said he was not going to continue (technical secretary) Robert Fernandez began a search. He spoke to a lot of people and studied the market. Many people took part in this decision and we did look at different names but our conclusion was one name and one coach. We know him, we know what he can do.
a?Robert explained he was looking for a coach who had the Barcelona profile and knows the style. Ernesto is a very hard worker. He has knowledge, experience and has a philosophy similar to ours. He works a lot, he likes using technology.a?
