After a 3-1 league defeat to Levante, Barcelona failed to bounce back as they were forced to settle for a goalless draw against Slavia Praha at home in the Champions League.
Ernesto Valverde is under pressure at the Camp Nou and even though there are no imminent threats to his position, it’s no surprise the La Liga winners are looking at other options.
Mundo Deportivo journalist Miguel Rico claims Marcelo Gallardo has been identified as one of the options and the River Plate manager is ‘well regarded’ at the Catalan club.
Rico states no one at Barcelona is surprised about the links and they are looking at the best coach in South America. He has won all domestic and continental competitions with River Plate.
In addition to this, the best reference is Lionel Messi, who voted Gallardo in his top three managers in the world.
Messi’s top three, in order, were Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino and compatriot Gallardo.
Guardiola has ruled out the possibility of managing Barcelona’s first team, while Pochettino won’t take the reigns at Camp Nou due to his past association with Barca’s local rivals, Espanyol.
Rico claims out of the three, Gallardo is the ‘only viable option’.
