Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has confirmed that manager Ernesto Valverde will remain in the Camp Nou dugout next season.
Valverde’s future at the club was said to be in doubt after the club’s disastrous end to the season, which saw them crash out of both the Champions League and Copa del Rey in spectacular fashion. There were even rumors that Valverde’s whereabouts were unknown as the boss looked to avoid backlash from both the club and fans.
However, Bartomeu has told ESPN that Valverde will remain as the first-team manager, insisting that he has always had faith in the Spaniard.
Valverde has been on holiday away from his mobile phone, so the club had to contact his wife to inform him that he will remain at the club for the foreseeable future – a decision that was not unanimous among the Barcelona board.
Both ESPN and El Chiringuito add that several board members were keen to part ways with Valverde as a result of his failure to compete in the Champions League, but none have the power that Bartomeu has, and the president has made the final decision on the manager.
The Blaugrana did not intend to make a statement on Valverde’s future until after their post-season meetings, but the intense speculation around his future has forced them into action, so as to avoid creating an unnecessary turmoil.
Sources close to Bartomeu confirmed that the president is not one for making rash decisions in the heat of the moment, insisting that the plan was always to remain with Valverde after he helped guide the club to back-to-back La Liga titles.
“The president is someone who doesn’t like to rush into things and won’t be influenced by others. He won’t make drastic decisions in the heat of the moment. That’s not his style,” the source added.
The club will still hold numerous meetings to try to establish what went wrong towards the end of the season. However, Valverde will not be blamed and instead the club will discuss their transfer plans for the upcoming summer window.
