FC Barcelona appears to be on the verge of possibly pulling the trigger on firing manager Ronald Koeman. Various names are surfacing in the rumor mill, with one being River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo.
Spanish program “El Chiringuito de Jugones” (via Marca) conducted a survey asking Barcelona supporters their preferred candidate to take over for Koeman. Of the candidates they had to choose between Andrea Pirlo, Xavi Hernández, Marcelo Gallardo, and Roberto Martínez.
The first choice for many is Xavi Hernández, as there’s an obvious connection with the supporters. However, the second candidate on this poll might surprise some is Marcelo Gallardo.
Despite not having experience managing in Europe, some Barcelona supporters view him as the second ideal candidate over names such as Roberto Martínez and Andrea Pirlo.
Gallardo has been the River Plate manager since 2014, and many consider the Argentine tactician the best manager outside of Europe. However, Gallardo could turn down Barcelona as the Spanish team would want him to depart right now, and the 45-year-old wants to see out his contract.