It’s not an exaggeration to say Ronald Koeman edged himself forward for the Barcelona job during the summer.
The Everton manager was never the front-runner, and was well aware of that, but did come and go in the shortlists and so wasn’t without a chance.
Koeman skated the thin line of cosying up to the Catalan media, and dropping hints about a potential Barcelona role, but usually giving a nod to the future, so as not to upset Everton and the club’s fans too much.
Any hopes of getting the Barcelona job in the medium term obviously depend a lot on what Koeman does at Everton, and therefore the club’s current woes won’t be assisting that.
The Catalan media are widely covering Koeman’s Everton difficulties, with Mundo Deportivo saying he’s in a ‘total crisis’ despite the backing of the club’s owner.
It’s all harmful to the Dutchman’s managerial reputation, and he’ll hope it passes soon, and a better period for Everton helps his Barcelona chances.
Everton failure would surely lead to a closed Barcelona door in the short to medium term.
