Papers: Koeman’s continuity at Barcelona is imminent

A long-drawn out saga with lots of debate seems to be nearing the end, as Barcelona look set to announce that Ronald Koeman will stay on as head coach for the upcoming season. The Dutchman is the focus of the Spanish media today.

As highlighted by various reports and also the covers of SPORT and Mundo Deportivo, Koeman will stay on for at least one more season and will have to accept reduced terms on his contract. His talks on the matter with president Joan Laporta have reportedly gone well.

Ronald Koeman has had a fairly successful transition season in charge of Barcelona, but a few glaring problems were seen over the course of the campaign. The loss of La Liga, in particular, was a bitter pill to swallow.

As a consequence, Koeman’s future was in jeopardy heading into the first meeting with Joan Laporta. But since then, a lack of alternatives and the merits of Koeman have been taken into consideration as the Dutchman is now set to continue at least for one more season.

Laporta has finally decided to bet on Koeman, even saying that at the moment, he is “closer to staying than leaving”. The reduced terms of his contract also contain variables that will benefit the coach if he leads the team to silverware. MD also state that there may even be an option to extend his contract for one more year included as a clause. All of which will reportedly be made official on Thursday.

Koeman never planned on resigning and was adamant on seeing out his contract at the very least. His belief to lead Barcelona’s revolution has also played a role in the decision. He is also happy with the club’s transfer business so far, and two of the key players on his list are set to arrive soon.

The media also highlights the confirmation of Emerson Royal’s signing. The right-back has made an exciting return to Barcelona from his loan stint at Real Betis and will be competing with Sergino Dest for a place in the first team.