Koeman to quit Netherlands for Barcelona - Dutch media
RESENDING WITH UPDATED SCRIPT
VIDEO SHOWS: FILE FOOTAGE OF RONALD KOEMAN, MAURICIO POCHETTINO, XAVI AND THIERRY HENRY
SHOWS:
GUIMARAES, PORTUGAL (FILE - JUNE 5, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. VARIOUS OF NETHERLANDS COACH, RONALD KOEMAN WATCHING ON DURING TRAINING SESSION AHEAD OF UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL AGAINST ENGLAND
2. KOEMAN WALKING ON PITCH
3. NETHERLANDS AND BARCELONA MIDFIELDER, FRENKIE DE JONG RUNNING
HAMBURG, GERMANY (FILE - SEPTEMBER 5, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
4. KOEMAN TALKING TO HIS COACHING STAFF
5. DE JONG (CENTRE) JOGGING ALONGSIDE DEFENDER, MATTHIJS DE LIGT (LEFT), AND FORWARD, JUSTIN KLUIVERT (RIGHT)
6. KOEMAN WATCHING ON
7. KOEMAN WATCHING ON AS PLAYERS WARM UP
ZEIST, NETHERLANDS (FILE - MARCH 23, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
8. KOEMAN AND NETHERLANDS MIDFIELDER GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM CYCLING TO TRAINING SESSION
9. VARIOUS OF KOEMAN WALKING OUT ON TO TRAINING PITCH
10. KOEMAN TALKING TO MEMBERS OF HIS COACHING STAFF
BRAGA, PORTUGAL (FILE - JUNE 8, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
11. DE JONG TRAINING
12. KOEMAN TALKING TO HIS COACHING STAFF
13. KOEMAN STANDING IN FRONT OF SQUAD
14. KOEMAN TALKING TO PLAYERS
15. PLAYERS, INCLUDING DE JONG, LISTENING
16. KOEMAN AND MEMBER OF COACHING STAFF WATCHING ON
BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - MAY 7, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
17. RONALD KOEMAN WEARING SUNGLASSES WATCHING FORMER CLUB BARCELONA TRAIN
BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - APRIL 6, 1994) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ADIDAS VNR - ACCESS ALL)
18. VARIOUS OF BARCELONA PLAYER RONALD KOEMAN TAKING FREE KICKS IN THE CAMP NOU
19. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BARCELONA PLAYER, RONALDO KOEMAN, SAYING:
"Only I think Maradona a little bit in his free kicks - he was doing it through out - but I think now you don't need to be Maradona now to take that free kicks. I think with these shoes everybody can make that kind of free kicks."
BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - JULY, 1992) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
20. KOEMAN ON PITCH
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS (FILE - OCTOBER 18, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
21. VARIOUS OF RONALD KOEMAN SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS AS AJAX MANAGER
22. KOEMAN SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE AHEAD OF GAME
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - SEPTEMBER 26, 2005) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
23. VARIOUS OF KOEMAN AT TRAINING AS COACH OF PORTUGUESE TEAM BENFICA
24. VARIOUS OF KOEMAN SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - MARCH 7, 2006) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
25. VARIOUS OF KOEMAN TRAINING AS COACH OF BENFICA
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - MAY 10, 2017) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
26. THEN EVERTON MANAGER, RONALD KOEMAN WITH NEW SIGNING, WAYNE ROONEY
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION (FILE - JUNE 15, 2016) (EVERTONFC.COM - MUST COURTESY EVERTONFC.COM AND MAINTAIN EVERTON TV BUG ON SCREEN)
27. VARIOUS OF EVERTON MANAGER POSING FOR CAMERAS
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - OCTOBER 21, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
28. VARIOUS OF THEN-TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER, MAURICIO POCHETTINO, AT A TRAINING SESSION
BELGRADE, SERBIA (FILE - NOVEMBER 5, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
29. POCHETTINO AND THEN MEMBERS OF HIS COACHING STAFF WALKING OUT FOR TRAINING
30. POCHETTINO
LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY (FILE - OCTOBER 17, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
31. POCHETTINO JUGGLING BALL
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - MARCH 16, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
32. VARIOUS OF POCHETTINO WITH TOTTENHAM GOALKEEPER AND CAPTAIN, HUGO LLORIS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (FILE - MAY 29, 2015) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
33. POCHETTINO TAKING PART IN A TRAINING DRILL
DORTMUND, GERMANY (FILE - MARCH 9, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
34. POCHETTINO WALKING OVER TO TOTTENHAM FIRST TEAM COACH MIGUEL D'AGOSTINO
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (FILE - MAY 26, 2015) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
35. POCHETTINO SIGNING AUTOGRAPH
DOHA, QATAR (FILE - JUNE 11, 2015) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
36. VARIOUS OF NOW AL-SADD COACH, XAVI POSING WITH CLUB SHIRT AFTER JOINING AS A PLAYER FROM BARCELONA
37. XAVI PUTTING ON AL-SADD SHIRT AND POSING
BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - JUNE 7, 2015) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
38. VARIOUS OF BARCELONA PLAYERS CELEBRATING ON PITCH HAVING WON THE TREBLE - SPANISH LA LIGA, COPA DEL REY AND THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
39. XAVI AND LIONEL MESSI SITTING IN FRONT OF COPA DEL REY TROPHY
40. VARIOUS OF XAVI AND SERGIO BUSQUETS HOLDING THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TROPHY AS THEY WALK ON PITCH AT CAMP NOU SHOWING IT OFF TO FANS
BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - JUNE 3, 2015) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
41. BARCELONA CAPTAIN XAVI HERNANDEZ ENTERING CEREMONY
42. BARCELONA PLAYERS, INCLUDING BRAZILIAN FORWARD NEYMAR, ARGENTINE MIDFIELDER JAVIER MASCHERANO AND FRENCH DEFENDER JEREMY MATHIEU, CLAPPING
43. VARIOUS OF XAVI SITTING ON STAGE WITH BARCELONA PRESIDENT JOSEP MARIA BARTOMEU
44. XAVI ON STAGE
45. ANDRES INIESTA HANDING SIGNED T-SHIRT TO XAVI / XAVI SMILING
MONACO (FILE - OCTOBER 17, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
46. THIERRY HENRY, POSING WITH MONACO CLUB SHIRT IN FRONT OF HARBOUR WHEN HE WAS UNVEILED AS THE TEAM'S NEW COACH
47. VARIOUS OF HENRY AND THEN MONACO VICE PRESIDENT, VADIM VASILYEV, POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS
48. HENRY
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (FILE - AUGUST 31, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
49. HENRY AT BELGIUM TRAINING SESSION WHEN HE WAS AN ASSISTANT COACH
50. BELGIUM TEAM TRAINING SESSION
51. HENRY LOOKING ON
DEDOVSK, MOSCOW REGION, RUSSIA (FILE - JULY 9, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
52. HENRY HOLDING SOCCER BALLS DURING BELGIUM TRAINING SESSION
BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - JUNE 25, 2007) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
53. VARIOUS OF HENRY BEING PRESENTED TO BARCELONA FANS
54. HENRY BEING PRESENTED WITH BARCELONA SHIRT
STORY: Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman is expected to conclude negotiations on a three-year contract to manage Barcelona, Dutch media reported on Tuesday (August 18).
Koeman has a clause in his deal with the Dutch football association KNVB which allows him to break his contract if he receives an offer from Barcelona, the club he played for and began his coaching career with as assistant to Louis van Gaal.
The 57-year-old has made no secret of the fact Barcelona would be a dream job and Dutch media said Koeman felt it was "now or never" to accept an offer from the Catalan giants.
His decision was made easier by uncertainty over the future of international soccer amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Nations League matches next month under threat from an upsurge in new COVID-19 infections across Europe, plus the postponement of the European Championship to next year.
Quique Setien was fired as Barcelona coach on Monday after they were humbled 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Espanyol coach Mauricio Pochettino as well former Barca players Xavi and Thierry Henry have also been linked with the job but Koeman appears to have emerged as the top candidate.
Koeman will be faced with a major rebuilding job after Barca finished second in La Liga behind champions Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Copa del Rey at the quarter-final stage by Athletic Bilbao.
For the Dutch association, his impending departure is a major blow. Koeman has a contract up to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and led the team to qualification for the European Championship after they missed out on Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.
Netherlands women's national team coach Sarina Wiegman was named last week to replace Phil Neville as England coach from next year after signing a four-year deal.
(Production: Tim Hart)
