Roberto Martinez responds to reports of replacing Ronald Koeman as Barcelona's manager

FC Barcelona has been in very bad form so far this season which also happens to be the first in 16 years without six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi. In their last five games, the Blaugrana have won only one game having lost two and drawn two. Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has been under fire from the fans and the media with several reports claiming he could be sacked and after their last match which they ended up losing 3-0 against Benfica, there is even more pressure on the Dutchman. According to a report by Goal.com, the current Belgian national team's head coach Roberto Martinez is the frontrunner for Koeman's seat. The Spanish coach has responded to those rumours and has denied any contact from Barcelona but added that 'anything can happen in football'.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Belgium's Nations League Finals, Martinez said:

I would love (Belgium) to be the first European country to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. That's the challenge after the Nations League final. But, in football, you never know what tomorrow will bring. I wake up every morning as Belgium coach until the last day of my contract, but I realise that many circumstances can arise along the way.

The coach was then specifically asked if he had been approached by the Barcelona board to which he responded by saying as quoted by Goal.com, "There is absolutely nothing. There has been no contact." 

Koeman on his way out?

Based on reports by Catalan outfit TV3, members of the Barcelona board of directors, had a meeting chaired by club president Joan Laporta to discuss the future of Ronaldo Koeman at the helm as the manager. His current contract is set to expire in June 2022 and the club would have to shell out a lot of money in the form of a severance package and find a replacement if they decided to sack him. This would be a costly process for Barcelona who are already in financial turmoil. Based on the reports, there is pressure on Laporta to sack Koeman. A few days back Laporta did say that he "likes Koeman." Reports in Sport suggest that the players were surprised by the Dutchman's tactical rigidity given that they were not working in the first half.

However, those very rumours were denied by Barcelona's vice president Eduard Romeu who said that the sacking of Koeman has not been discussed and clearly denied that money would be an issue if the club did want to sack the Dutchman. Romeu said in a news conference as quoted by ESPN on Thursday when asked if Barca's financial problems prevented the club from removing Koeman.

(Image: AP)