Quique Setien could hold onto his job at Barcelona due to a boardroom split.
The Daily Mail says Barcelona could delay announcing the sacking of Setien until next week as internal debate rages at the club over whether former Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino is the best man to take over.
Pochettino does not have unanimous support at the club but his friend, the Barcelona president, Josep Bartomeu remains hopeful he can convince fellow board members to hire the 48-year-old who Tottenham sacked last November.
Setien’s position became completely untenable after Barcelona lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich on Friday.
But although the club have already made the decision to dismiss the 61-year-old they could delay officially confirming it until after a board meeting that El Mundo Deportivo reported is likely to take place Monday or Tuesday at the latest.
Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta labelled Bartomeu’s post-match interview after the Bayern demolition ‘inept’ and ‘cowardly’ and the club’s players want him to step down despite having a year left on his mandate.
Lionel Messi has already made it clear he has no intention of signing a new contract – he has one year left on his current deal – all the time Bartomeu remains in charge.
Bartomeu had been determined to go through to the end of next season in charge, but amid so much bad feeling towards him and his board, he could announce a compromise next week with elections brought forward to early 2021.
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