Barcelona reportedly sat down with coach Ernesto Valverde’s agent this past week to discuss a potential contract renewal for the Spanish tactician.
The 54-year-old enjoyed a successful first season at the helm last year, winning a domestic double as he led the Catalan giants to the La Liga title and Copa del Rey.
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However, there was a red mark against Barcelona too due to their disappointing exit in the Champions League, and so it was far from an ideal first year in charge.
Nevertheless, they have started the new campaign strong both at home and in Europe, and Valverde has certainly proven that he’s capable of leading them to sustained success.
In turn, Mundo Deportivo report that Barcelona club president Josep Maria Bartomeu met with the coach’s representative this past week to discuss a new deal to avoid his future becoming a topic of discussion and uncertainty for the media and the squad.
Valverde’s current deal runs until next summer, and so it’s evidently natural that talks will get underway in the near future to avoid a situation where he goes into the end of the campaign not knowing if he’ll still be in a job next year.
Nevertheless, it’s also undoubtedly a tricky topic too as if he does sign a new contract and Barcelona falter in the second half of the season, the club may feel as though they’ve perhaps made a mistake if a change is felt necessary.
Time will tell how the situation plays out, but ultimately, given what he has achieved and done thus far, it would come as no surprise to us if he was to put pen to paper on a new deal in the coming months to extend his stay at the Nou Camp, with Mundo Deportivo suggesting that’s the feeling from the club.