It seems Barcelona have already initiated their first step and pushed the sirens alarm button as the report has emerged that the club have already contacted Belgium international\u2019s Spanish manager, Roberto Martinez, as they seemingly go through preparations to sack current manager Ronald Koeman as what appears to be the gale winds and turbulent waters of a perfect storm are already swirling menacingly around him.<\/p>\n
Having pushed off to a disappointing start to the season, the Catalan giants sit with sore butts on seven points behind a resplendent Real Madrid in LaLiga while suffering another humiliating 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich\u00a0in their first Champions League outing for the new season.<\/p>\n
It never rains but pours, as they say, as things took a turn for the worse for the beleaguered Dutchman during their goal-less draw with Cadiz on Thursday, who saw red and was dispatched to the stands for venting his furiously protesting the referee’s decision to give Sergio Busquets a yellow card.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been circulating that Martinez has long been considered as a potential future manager at the Nou Camp by president Joan Laporta even before he was re-appointed back to the Barcelona board in March.<\/p>\n
The Spaniard has been out of club football management since being served his marching papers by Everton in May 2016 and has focused instead on managing Belgium, whom he guided to a creditable third place finish at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.<\/p>\n
Barcelona\u2019s executives have apparently told Martinez that he is their primary numero uno choice to replace the hapless Koeman.<\/p>\n
Martinez hails from Catalunya and evidently enjoys close links with Barcelona as he and Jordi Cruyff, the son of club legend Johan, are godparents to each other’s children.<\/p>\n
The 48-year-old allegedly harbors intentions to stay in charge of Belgium until the UEFA Nations League finals which begin next month as he is desirous of winning his first international trophy as manager and Barcelona are reportedly willing to wait until after the Nations League which will conclude on October 10.<\/p>\n
As for the floundering Koeman who joined the Catalan side in a difficult period after the exit of Quique Setien, he had all the while been adversely impacted by the off-pitch financial issues choking the club, which led ultimately to the shocking departure of club legend Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n