American football coach Ted Lasso is the leading candidate to succeed Ronald Koeman at Barcelona, Paddy Power News understands.
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Lasso tops a five-man shortlist for the Barca job which includes ex-Harchester United favourite Karl Fletcher, Championship Manager legend To Madeira, Ian Holloway and the Barca kitman if they can’t afford the other four.
Following Wednesday night’s 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano and a weekend loss to Real Madrid, club president Joan Laporta counted all the coins in the absolutely skint club found enough lint, buttons and pennies down the sofa in his office to come up with a severance package to relieve the Dutchman of his duties.
Barcelona’s Dutch coach Ronald Koeman (R) celebrates with club president Joan Laporta at the end of the Spanish Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) final football match between Athletic Club Bilbao and FC Barcelona at La Cartuja stadium in Seville on April 17, 2021. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP) (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images)
And there is a consensus within the boardroom that AFC Richmond boss Lasso is the man to restore the Catalan giants to their former glories.
Sources claim a group of senior players including star striker Gerard Pique beseeched the club’s hierarchy to install the American coach as Barca’s new head coach.
Lasso rose to prominence after guiding American college football outfit Wichita State Shockers to a Division II National Collegiate Athletic Association championship.
He then made the successful transition from American football to soccer when he was unexpectedly recruited to coach English Premier League side AFC Richmond.
‘Oh boy, Barcelona want me to coach them some soccer?’, Lasso said to Paddy Power News.
‘Well, it sure would be cool to work with stars likes Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr’.
When informed that none of those aforementioned still play for the club but Martin Braithwaite does, he replied.
‘Says on the internet here he played for Middles-brah? Come on, man. That’s gotta be a mistake?
Meanwhile, Xavi Hernandez is also said to be keen to replace Koeman if he can negotiate a release from his current club, Al Sadd of Qatar.
“It has always been my dream to one day manage Barcelona – once Messi had bogged off and would let me pick the team,” he told Catalunyan Radio this morning.
“I have learned so much in my time in Qatar, I will be forever grateful to this great nation. Now, if they’ll just give me my passport back once I’ve finished tiling the lavs in the National Stadium, that’ll be great…”
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