Papers: Ronald Koeman has listed his five priorities at Barcelona

It seems like Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has all but guaranteed himself at least another season in charge of the club. The Dutchman has done a spectacular job in turning around the fortunes of a hapless squad with their morale in tatters, especially since the turn of the new year.

Koeman, who turned 58 on the weekend, has shown great versatility with his own tactics, allowing the Barcelona squad to express themselves far more freely. This should mean that the coach is allowed some leeway in terms of signings and decisions about player contracts he wants to renew.

And with new president Joan Laporta publicly stating his backing for the manager, the media have now turned their attention to Koeman’s demands for next season. Mundo Deportivo today, highlight the five biggest priorities for the coach at Barcelona for the following campaign.

After the first meeting between Koeman and Laporta at the Camp Nou yesterday, MD have outlined that the first demands for the coach are: Messi and Dembele’s renewals, a new left-back (or the promotion of Alejandro Balde), a new center-back in Eric Garcia, a physical midfielder such as Georginio Wijnaldum and a striker in Memphis Depay.

Messi and Dembele’s renewals have of course been on the cards for Laporta as well. They will presumably be the first priority since the deals can be worked on before the summer as well.

Given Koeman’s great track record with the La Masia players, it won’t be surprising to see Balde promoted to the team instead of purchasing a new left-back. While Jordi Alba has hit red-hot form after some struggles earlier in the season, that position has little-to-no depth or future-proofing.

Eric Garcia’s move already seems imminent as he is set to join as a free agent from Manchester City in the summer, making a return to his boyhood club.

Memphis Depay and Gini Wijnaldum however, have been consistently linked with a move to Barcelona. Koeman seems to be a big fan of his fellow Dutchmen and Depay reportedly came very close to signing in January as well. The move fell apart merely due to the club’s tight finances, but now it may be back on the cards.