Barcelona President meets with Mauricio Pochettino to confirm replacing Luis Enrique - Reports

Mauricio Pochettino has emerged as the top managerial target for Barcelona

What’s the story?

Josep Bartomeu has met with Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino with a view to confirming him as Barcelona boss, according to a report in Spanish newspaper SPORT. Luis Enrique has already confirmed he will be vacating the post next season, although recent reports have claimed that his assistant, Juan Carlos Unzue is the front-runner for the post.

Previously

Pochettino has a close association with Barcelona’s local rivals, RCD Espanyol, previously saying that he was born with a ‘bull in his arms’ and would never manage Barcelona. The Spurs boss recently backtracked on his comments to an extent, saying “I was born not with a bull, but a ball in my arms. Ball, not bull. I understand the business and I can understand that my name is on some list, like if I go and there appears some list of managers who are at other clubs. It's normal in football today.”

The heart of the matter

The Catalan giant’s President, Josep Bartomeu was seen dining with Pochettino in Barcelona, according to the report in SPORT. The Spurs boss still has a home in Barcelona, from his time in charge of Espanyol, and his success in the Premier League has brought him on Barcelona’s radar.

If Pochettino is indeed meeting with Bartomeu, it indicates that negotiations have progressed farther than assumed. Barcelona’s technical director, Robert Fernandez, was tasked with making the decision to recommend his choice from a shortlist, saying “The next Barcelona coach will be decided by me, that is the reality. It’s clear that I will sit down with the president and some directors and we will talk about what is the best option for the team, but it’s my decision.”

Pochettino is keen on leaving Tottenham on good terms, however, and hopes that Barcelona can buy him out of his contract with the Premier League high-flyers and pay Spurs a compensation package.

What next?

Barcelona have to wrap up their negotiations sooner than later, so that the new manager has time to settle in.

Author’s Take

The opportunity to manage Barcelona is a daunting prospect for even the most seasoned of managers, but Pochettino is young and hungry – he’ll be keen to prove his worth at a ‘big club’. Tottenham will naturally be reluctant to let him go, especially since they are on the cusp of becoming Champions League regulars, coupled with building a new stadium to cement their ‘big club’ status.