Thursday, 1 June 2017

New Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde arrives at the Nou Camp as he settles into job after replacing Luis Enrique

  • Ernesto Valverde was confirmed as the new Barcelona manager on Monday
  • He will sign a two-year deal and be officially unveiled on Thursday afternoon
  • Valverde was pictured at the club's Nou Camp headquarters after jetting in
  • Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu says the 53-year-old is 'very happy'
  • Ernesto Valverde has landed in Barcelona after jetting in to replace Luis Enrique.
    The 53-year-old flew from Bilbao on Wednesday afternoon and touched down at 1.30pm (UK time) before heading straight to the Nou Camp.
    Valverde, who left his role as Athletic Bilbao boss last week, was confirmed as Barca's new manager on a two-year deal on Monday.

    After a flight of just over an hour, the former Valencia chief smiled as he posed for pictures outside the club's offices.
    Valverde will sign his contract, which has the option of an extra season, on Thursday morning before being officially unveiled at the Nou Camp. He will also take part in his first press conference. 

    Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu announced the arrival of the former Barcelona player at a press conference on Monday.
    'I have spoken to him today and he is very happy because this is a very special challenge for him. He has the capacity, the know-how and the experience to do this job,' Bartomeu said.

  • He has a style of working that fits our club, he loves using the youth system and he is also passionate about new technologies and their application to matches.'
    Valverde follows in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova and Luis Enrique who all previously played for the club before taking over.
    They all won the league in their first season and Valverde's task is to put Barcelona back at the summit of Spanish football after Real Madrid's title success this season. 
    Valverde brings his own back-room staff with him. Enrique's No 2 Juan Carlos Unzue has moved to take over at Celta Vigo so Jon Aspiazu with be Valverde's assistant. He joins from Bilbao as does fitness coach Jose Antonio Pozanco.
    This is not Valverde's first job in the city of Barcelona. He coached Espanyol from 2006 to 2008 where he finished as UEFA Cup runners-up.
    He then won three leagues and and two cups with Olympiacos in Greece. 




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