He could reportedly receive around €14m if Barca sack him
Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is under increased pressure at Camp Nou and despite refusing to answer questions about his future following his side’s 1-1 draw against Granada, it appears that his sacking could cost the Catalan giants a huge amount of money.
The Spanish outfit currently sit 10th in the La Liga table and their recent 3-0 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League proved to be yet another recent low point for the club’s supporters.
On Monday night (September 20), Barca needed a 90th minute equaliser from Ronald Araújo to earn a point against Granada – leading to more speculation about the Dutchman’s departure, which was a topic that he refused to discuss.
“I don’t answer anymore questions about the future, I cannot win that [discussion],” Koeman told La Liga TV.
“I’m tired to answer that kind of question. You can leave it, I don’t answer that question.”
Koeman, who is out of contract at Camp Nou in less than 12 months’ time, is less than popular with some Barcelona fans for a number of reasons – none more prevalent than being at the helm when Lionel Messi remarkably left the club to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in the summer.
Ronald Koeman: “Thanks to me, this club has a future.”
Two days later…
Barcelona fail to have a shot on target in a Champions League game for the first time since OPTA started collecting data. pic.twitter.com/iBmnv1Rbz9
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 15, 2021
This, coupled with just one win in Barca’s last four matches, has put more pressure on the manager – leading to increased speculation that, should results not improve quickly, he might be sacked before the season is even finished.
However, should the Catalan side decide to sack the 58-year-old – or decide not to extent his stay beyond June 2022 – there could be costly repercussions.
According to Spanish outlet Marca, there is a clause in Koeman’s contract that means should the Barcelona hierarchy opt against renewing his deal at the club, he will receive at least €6million.
When elaborating on the clause in the Dutchman’s contract, the report claims that it was included by former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu. The issue relates to the amount of money that Koeman had to pay the Dutch Football Association to terminate his deal with the national side in order to become the Barcelona manager last year.
On the other hand, should the four-time Champions League winners decide the sack their manager before the end of the season, then he will reportedly receive around €14m in compensation.
While the decision to sack or decide against offering him a new deal would seemingly prove costly for Barcelona, how they perform in their upcoming fixtures could give them no option.
They face Cádiz and Levante in the league this week, before returning to the Champions League action next week when they travel to Benfica.
Despite facing an undeniable injury crisis – with Pedri, Jordi Alba, Ansu Fati, Sergio Agüero and Ousmane Dembélé all currently ruled out of action – the pressure is mounting on the former Everton manager.
His future in the Barcelona hot seat could rest on the club’s apprehension or willingness to pay up – what looks to be – a huge severance package.
Related links:
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- Cristiano Ronaldo scammed out of six-figure sum after passing credit card pin to travel agent
- Barcelona board held midnight meeting with Ronald Koeman after Bayern defeat
