ISL: Barcelona want to lure away Hyderabad FC's Albert Roca

According to a report in the Times of India, newly-appointed FC Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has reached out to Albert Roca, the current coach of Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Hyderabad FC and offered him a tole in the coaching staff at the Spanish club.

Roca, who came to India for the first time back in 2016 as the head coach of Bengaluru FC, had previously spent five seasons at Barcelona between 2003-2008. Koeman was named as the Catalan giants' head coach after former coach Quique Setien was sacked following the humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The Dutch manager left his job as Netherlands national team coach last week to sign a two-year deal at Camp Nou.

Now, Koeman has been tasked with rebuilding the team and he wants Roca as part of the senior team coaching staff.

https://twitter.com/MarcusMergulhao/status/1297981878238998528

“Yes, there is an offer (from Barcelona), but we are waiting for more clarity. This is in the early stages and we expect to know more about this on Tuesday. We don’t know how to react to this. Obviously, it’s a big opportunity for Roca to go to Barcelona, but Hyderabad FC have to look at their own interest too. The club depends a lot on Roca. This is not an easy decision. We are hoping we can find an amicable solution,” a senior club official was quoted saying.

Hyderabad finished at the bottom of the league table in their debut season, winning just two of their 18 league matches. With hopes of getting a better result in the upcoming seasons, the club then put their faith in Roca, who has proven pedigree in India, and signed him on a two-year contract.

However, with Barcelona calling, Roca might be tempted to break the contract and make the move. Given the coach's stature, he may force his way out if the club comes in between. Just a couple of days back Roca was telling us in an interview how challenging it has been preparing for the upcoming season because of the pandemic. It will be interesting to see if he is there to lead Hyderabad FC or not.