Products You May Like
Ronald Koeman’s camp has hit back at Joan Laporta after the Barcelona president claimed the Dutchman ended up in hospital after suffering an anxiety attack this week.
A report on Thursday alleged Koeman had been admitted to hospital and Laporta corroborated that the Barca coach had a “scare” in a news conference on Friday.
– Messi at Barcelona: The ultimate history
– Sources: Barcelona eyeing Belgium boss Martinez
– Koeman, Laporta meet over manager’s future
“He had a scare and they took him to the hospital, but he is fine. I called him,” Laporta said.
However, a source close to Koeman called stories of an anxiety attack “nonsense” and said he was at the hospital for routine blood pressure tests following a heart procedure in 2020.
Later, Wasserman, the agency that looks after Koeman’s interests, posted on Twitter saying that they regretted Laporta’s comments.
“The words of FC Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta during a [news] conference about Ronald Koeman’s anxiety attack are overdone,” Wasserman said.
“Ronald has been to the hospital for blood pressure checks, a routine check for people with his medical history. We regret the way it got into the media. Ronald is fine, there is nothing to worry about.”
The fallout comes amid increasing uncertainty surrounding Koeman’s future at Barca.
Koeman, 58, still has one year to run on his contract but Laporta remains keen to find a replacement, as revealed by ESPN last week.
0:38
Barcelona president Joan Laporta says Lionel Messi is “very motivated” by the upcoming project at the club.
In a meeting this week, the Barca president reportedly told Koeman that if he couldn’t find a credible substitute within 15 days, he would stick with him for the second year of his deal.
Later on Friday, those reports prompted another tweet from Wasserman, which was deleted a few hours later.
“Imagine: I want to marry you, but I have doubts,” the now-deleted post read. “Give me two weeks to find a better partner… If I can’t find the right person, we will get married anyway!”
Koeman has always reiterated that it’s his desire to fulfil his contract, which expires in 2022, and said after the final game of the season — a 1-0 win at Eibar — that he didn’t believe he’d managed his last game for the club.
However, he’s never had Laporta’s full backing and the president referred to him as the coach “who was already in place when we were elected in March” when speaking on Friday.
Laporta also expressed “respect and admiration” for Koeman, whose winning goal in the 1992 European Cup final has afforded him legendary status at Barca, but didn’t go as far as to say he will definitely be in charge beyond the summer.
After failing to lure Hansi Flick to the club, ESPN reported earlier this week that Belgium boss Roberto Martinez is among the other coaches being considered by Laporta.
In his first season in charge, Koeman led Barca to the Copa del Rey, despite problems on and off the pitch. But a run of just two wins in six at the end of the season saw the Blaugrana end the campaign outside the top two in La Liga for the first time in 13 years.