Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is Barcelona President's first choice to replace Koeman: Report

Ronald Koeman is on the brink of getting sacked as Barcelona boss following his side’s back-to-back losses in the UEFA Champions League. Following the poor run of form by Barca, club President Joan Laporta has expressed that Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is his first choice to replace Koeman. Tuchel guided Chelsea to a UEFA Champions League title win in the 2020-21 season and has now been favoured by Laporta to take over Koeman’s role.

As reported by Mundo Deportivo, the Barca president prefers Thomas Tuchel over other candidates to replace Ronald Koeman. Tuchel has done wonders since taking over at Chelsea in January this year. Apart from winning the Champions League, Tuchel now eyes a Premier League title charge in the ongoing season. He is under a contract with Chelsea until 2024 and is unlikely to leave the Premier League side to join Barcelona, who are currently under a crisis, both on and off the field. 

The club hasn’t mentioned anything to me yet: Ronald Koeman

Ronald Koeman, ahead of Barcelona’s La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid on October 3, was asked if the match against Atletico would be his last match as the Barca manager. Responding to the question, Koeman said,

"The club hasn’t mentioned anything to me yet. The President was here this morning but we didn’t see each other, because we were preparing for tomorrow’s game. We had training sessions, I don’t know the situation now, but I haven’t been told anything. Obviously, I have my own ears and eyes and I know that a lot of things get leaked. So, I suppose some truth lies behind these rumors, but nothing has been told to me directly."

Watch Ronald Koeman's full pre-match press conference, ahead of Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid:

Barcelona have won three out of the six La Liga matches they have played in the 2021-22 season, and find themselves at sixth position in the points table. On the other hand, they have lost both their matches in the UEFA Champions League 2021-22, and are placed last in the Group E points table. They play their next Champions League match against Dynamo Kyiv on October 20, while they play Atletico on October 3 in the La Liga.

(Image: AP)