Barcelona have confirmed that coach Ernesto Valverde has agreed a one-year extension on his contract, with an option for another year.
As confirmed in the club’s statement, the agreement is already in place with the signing of the contract set for Friday as Valverde looks forward to at least an additional year in charge to that on his previous deal.
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Having led the Catalan giants to a domestic double last season coupled with the fact that they remain in the hunt for a treble this year, it seems like a sensible move from the Spanish giants as Valverde has enjoyed a successful tenure thus far.
However, based on the comments below, it seems as though the news hasn’t gone down well with the majority of supporters, who aren’t impressed with the fact that he has now signed an extension.
While some pointed to the fact that it will likely have a negative impact on Lionel Messi’s last few years in his prime, others attacked Valverde due to his style of football, which arguably isn’t exactly a perfect fit for the traditions and culture built at the Nou Camp under previous coaches.
On top of that, he was widely criticised last season for his lack of rotation, which many blamed for their Champions League exit to Roma, and so it remains to be seen whether or not he learns his lessons from that disappointment this time round.
Nevertheless, from the board’s perspective, he’s arguably delivering for them in terms of their objectives for success, albeit it could be questioned if it was a sensible idea to give him a new contract before the season is over.
With Barcelona facing Lyon in the Champions League next week, along with a semi-final second leg tie with Real Madrid coming up and the fact that their rivals are now just six points behind them in La Liga, if things were to go wrong for the reigning champions in the coming months, it would surely raise questions over whether or not Valverde should stay.
