Barcelona have sacked Ernesto Valverde on Monday night with them already telling him on Monday to clear his belongings ahead of leaving the club.
This will be the first time that Barcelona have sacked a manager in the middle of the season since they sacked Louis Van Gaal back in 2003.
Even whilst Barcelona are first in La Liga, the 55-year-old manager has been under immense pressure, particularly with the several under par performances that have been put out during the course of the season, summed up by their exit in the SuperCopa de Espana this week at the hands of Atletico Madrid.
Whilst winning two straight La Liga titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19, as well as a Copa del Rey in 2017-18 and a Supercopa de Espana in 2018, the manager has also overseen completely disastrous UEFA Champions League campaigns, including utter capitulations at the hands of Roma in 2017-18, and against Liverpool in 2018-19.
Several reports are hinting towards Quique Setien being announced as his replacement imminently, with there being rumours that Setien will be taking over until June, when his role will be discussed even further for the future. Other names such as club legend Xavi Hernandez have also been discussed.
Setien's agent is currently in Barcelona to negotiate a potential contract with the club, who have admired the former Real Betis' manager's attacking football throughout the years, particularly after beating Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid last season, before he was sacked after a poor run of form caused Betis to sink down the table.
Several Barcelona legends and former managers have had their say on Barcelona's horrible treatment of Valverde, with Andres Iniesta saying that "What comes to my mind a little, if all this is so, is that the way everything is being done is a bit ugly."
Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique also defended Valverde, with Guardiola saying that "I feel bad for Ernesto Valverde. He doesn't deserve this. I hope the situation can be resolved soon, I wish that as a club member. That's all."
Enrique also added to these comments, saying "I feel for him because I like him a lot. He's doing a really good job and can almost all the titles, as they're leading La Liga and are into the Champions League knockouts. He is one of the best Spanish coaches."
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