Barcelona has appointed Ronald Koeman as the club’s new coach on a two-year contract following the extension of the Setien kiosk on Monday.
Koeman, 57, has left his position as Dutch coach to take over the Camp Nou. His contract includes a termination clause at the end of the first year in case the new president Azulgrana – the elections will be held next March – would like to bring his own coach, according to the official website of the Catalan giant.
Koeman said: “It has been an honor to be the national coach of the Netherlands. For the past two and a half years, I have done my best to succeed with ‘Oranje’. I look back with pride for what we have. The Dutch national team has a bright future, I am convinced. Everyone knows that Barcelona is the club of my dreams. It’s very special for me to be a coach there.”
Former Hoffenheim coach Alfred Schreuder, who was Erik ten Hag’s assistant at Ajax in his memorable 2018-2019 campaign, will be Koeman’s number 2.
ESPN reported on Friday, before Barca’s 8–2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, that Koeman had been tested as an imaginable replacement for Setien, which only took control in January. Discussions accelerated over the weekend after the club’s record loss in Europe.
Koeman, former Everton and Southampton coach, achieved a career-former Camp Nou as a member of Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” when he scored the goal that won his first European Cup in 1992.
Koeman returned to Barca as assistant coach of Louis van Gaal between 1998 and 2000 and has been linked to the club’s senior position several times since.