Kluivert and Blanc candidates to replace Setien at Barcelona

Patrick Kluivert and Laurent Blanc have emerged as potential candidates to replace Quique Setien as the head coach at Barcelona, according to AS.

The Catalans failed to defend their La Liga title and saw it snatched by arch-rivals Real Madrid in a late race during which Barcelona’s poor results helped Los Blancos overtake them and seal the trophy, and that has widely been perceived as a failure for a club expecting to win every trophy they compete for.

A meeting has reportedly been held last week and it was decided that Setien would remain in charge of the team for now, but the decision would be revised upon the end of Barca’s Champions League campaign. Apparently, Barcelona are still waiting for Xavi Hernandez to return to the club as the head coach but are forced to wait another year before they can bring him in, which means they would rely on either the current head of academy at the club (Kluivert) or the former Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux coach to bridge the gap.

What’s more, Blanc’s representatives have informed Barcelona that he would be open to such a short-term deal.