Ronald Koeman Named Barcelona Head Coach on Two-Year Deal

Barcelona have appointed Ronald Koeman as their new head coach on a two-year deal, with the Dutchman leaving his post as Netherlands manager to take charge of his former club.

The appointment of Koeman comes after days of recriminations at the Catalan club, which saw Quique Setien sacked on Monday and sporting director Eric Abidal departing on Tuesday afternoon.

Friday night's astonishing 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich provided the flashpoint for the internal restructuring, but the club has been in institutional strife for some time – as seen when Ernesto Valverde was sacked earlier this season, only for the club to be turned down by four managerial candidates (including Koeman) when looking to replace him.

That confused thinking led to Setien's appointment, and Barcelona eventually surrendered their lead at the top of La Liga, allowing Real Madrid to take the title for just the third time in the last decade. They'd also been bounced out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Club back in February, leaving the club without a trophy or an appearance in a final for the first time since 2008.

Koeman arrives into a club in shambles, but does possess the 'Barcelona DNA' that is so important to many members of the board and fanbase. The Dutchman arrived at the club in 1989 to play under Johan Cruyff, winning four consecutive league titles and scoring the goal which clinched the club's first ever European Cup.

While he's a bona fide club legend as a player, his managerial record has been spottier. His only job in Spain was his sacked by Valencia after less than a season, taking them to 15th in the league, with not even a Copa del Rey triumph enough to save him.

Premier League fans will be more familiar with his time at Southampton and Everton – the former vastly more successful than the latter, building on the work of Mauricio Pochettino to take the Saints to their best ever Premier League points total. His Everton team, conversely, was bad.

Koeman will be charged with building a team in which Lionel Messi wants to play, dealing with a squad encumbered with too many ageing players on high wages, repairing a fractured dressing room and working on, by the club's standards, a shoestring budget.

Nothing less than a league title and deep European run will do.

His official presentation and first press conference will take place on Wednesday afternoon.

For more from Chris Deeley, follow him on Twitter at @ThatChris1209!