4 potential replacements for Ernesto Valverde as Barcelona manager

Modified May 27, 2019 12:58 GMT

Valverde is expected to be relieved of his duties in the coming weeks

#2 Eric ten Hag

The only man on this list not to have any direct Spanish link, Eric ten Hag however has some proxy connection to the Barcelona DNA as coach of Ajax, due to the relationship between both clubs with Johan Cruyff being the unifying factor.

The 49-year-old has had a solid if unspectacular coaching career till now, with his first managerial appointment coming as coach of Go Ahead Eagles in the Eerste Divisie (Netherlands second division) in 2012.

This post lasted for just one season before he headed over to Germany to manage Bayern Munich's second team from 2013 till 2015 when he returned to Netherlands to manage FC Utretch.

His big break came in December 2017 when he was appointed as manager of one of Netherlands biggest clubs Ajax Amsterdam and despite failing to win a trophy in his first half season, the club persisted with him and this is a decision which reaped immense dividends.

During the course of the 2018/2019 season, Eric ten Hag oversaw one of the greatest campaigns in Ajax's recent history, leading them to the semifinal of the Champions League for the first time since 1996 and won admiration for the way his side played, knocking out more established sides like Real Madrid and Juventus before being eliminated by Tottenham in the last four in heartbreaking circumstances.

His first managerial trophy came on 5 May, 2019 when he led the club to triumph in the KNVB Beker Cup, defeating Willem II in the final and 10 days later won the Eredivisie to bring the double to the Johan Cruyff Arena for the first time since 2003.

Ten Hag's success was achieved by playing fluid, expansive football, while the core of his team was built around young academy graduates which is strikingly similar to the modus operandi at Barcelona and as such, chances of success at Nou Camp are rather high.