Barcelona set to offer new contract to head coach Luis Enrique

Barcelona are reportedly prepared to offer a new contract to their current manager Luis Enrique.

Luis Enrique Martínez García is a former Barcelona player who joined the club in 1996, making the switch from arch-rivals Real Madrid after seeing out his five-year contract. The Sporting Gijon youth product was an instant hit with the Blaugranes, netting 46 La Liga goals in his first three seasons with the club.

The versatile attacking midfielder is widely regarded as a legend for the club, having amassed 207 league appearances for Barcelona and scoring 73 goals in the process. Luis Enrique was also a mainstay for the Spanish national squad, making 62 appearances for La Roja and netting 12 goals.

He started his managerial career at Barcelona’s B side, guiding them to a promotion to Liga Segunda. He then decided to move on to Italy, but was unsuccessful at Roma and stepped down as their coach despite having two years left on his contract. Enrique impressed during his stint at Celta Vigo, helping the Galicians finish ninth in the Liga BBVA.

Enrique returned to his footballing home as the manager of Barcelona before the start of the 2014-15 season, agreeing on a two-year deal with the club. The former Barcelona player managed to guide the Catalan club to a treble in his first season as Barca manager. He then added the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies to his managerial achievements.

The Spaniard was showered with praise in the 2014-15 season, as he won the La Liga Coach of the Year and FIFA World Coach of the Year awards. Luis Enrique achieved a double in his second year as Barca manager despite some struggles throughout the campaign. The Spaniard boasts a record win-percentage of around 78% (stats via soccerbase) as Barcelona manager over two years.

Goal have reported that the Barcelona hierarchy are preparing a new contract offer for the Barcelona legend to keep the Gijon-born manager at Camp Nou.  The club’s vice-president Jordi Mestre confirmed as much during an interview with Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.

Asked by the publication as to whether an extension was imminent, Mestre said: “Not now. We’ll talk when the time comes. We are not in a hurry and I don’t think he is, but we will make an offer to him, for sure. Towards January? Yes, more or less there.”

The vice president also showered praises on the current Barcelona manager and commended him for the environment in the dressing room.

“He won the treble in the first season and soon added another brace of trophies with the European Super Cup and [Club] World Cup. I know the players are happy with him, and us too. He is winning titles, is happy and likes the city. Why leave?”

Mestre was asked whether the hierarchy had someone else in mind in case the former Barcelona player rejects the extension. The response was emphatic: ‘The first option is Luis Enrique, Luis Enrique is the second and the third is also Lucho.”

Barcelona are thriving under their former player and the squad harmony at Camp Nou seems to be at an all-time high. The hierarchy is happy with the results being produced under Luis Enrique and the former Roma manager is most likely to be happy to stay at the club where he started his managerial journey.