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Barcelona are set to sack their current head coach Quique Setien and are reportedly considering former player Thierry Henry in the shortlist to replace the Spanish head coach.
Henry, who spent three seasons at Barcelona as a player between 2007 and 2010, is set to be on the shortlist, which also includes Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman. Initial reports suggest that Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez is unlikely to be approached for the job.
According to France Football, Barcelona's overhaul could include starting the rebuild under a completely fresh face in Henry. And the Frenchman could be given the chance to prove his mettle in a top job.
It is, however, surprising that such a link has cropped up, especially given Henry's track record. Henry was totally out of his depth in his first job at AS Monaco, where he was sacked after just four months in charge. Monaco were languishing in the Ligue 1 relegation zone when Henry was discharged of his duties.
The Frenchman is currently the head coach of Montreal Impact in the MLS. But his side failed to reach the quarter-finals of the MLS Cup playoff tournament.
Barcelona to follow the recent trend of appointing former players as managers?
If Henry is appointed as the head coach of Barcelona, it would follow a recent trend of clubs around the continent who have turned to former players to lead them as head coach. Andrea Pirlo recently took over at Juventus, replacing Maurizio Sarri. In the Premier League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard are steering the ship at Manchester United and Chelsea respectively.
Barcelona, who have twisted and turned and sacked too many managers for their own good in the last decade, need to settle on a candidate to bring stability and a long-term vision to the club.
The short-termism at Barcelona was brutally exposed in the 2019-20 season, especially in the Champions League quarter-final humiliation against Bayern Munich. The Catalan giants started the game without any of their most recent big-money signings, with the most expensive of them all coming off the bench to score twice and assist once for Bayern.
Henry knows the club, knows what it is like to be an able foil to Lionel Messi and enable him. But the current situation at Barcelona will demand a manager who is both tactically sound and able to manage the challenges of a full rebuild.
Whether Henry is the man or not is put in doubt by his track record, which makes it a big surprise that his name is even being considered.
