Barcelona legend jokes about moving to Newcastle United to replace Bruce – originally posted on Sportslens.com
The Dutchman spent three years in the Premier League, managing Southampton and Everton before taking charge of the Netherlands national team.
Koeman returned to manage Barcelona last summer after a successful playing career at Camp Nou that established him as a legend, and while he is currently enjoying his dream job, he does not rule out a return to the English top-flight in the nearest future.
“Newcastle? Sorry, Steve Bruce! Sorry, Steve, I don’t know – I’m really happy now,” the Barca boss replied when Alan Shearer asked if he will ever be seen in the Premier League again.
“I liked it very much in the Premier League, it’s a great place to be involved in. It’s perfect. All the facilities in football, they are so great in the Premier League.
“It’s really enjoyable, the games, the intensity in the games and all the stadiums have a great ambience. You can be proud of that kind of competition.”
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Majority of Newcastle fans cannot wait to see the back of Bruce, but that is not likely to happen soon as long as Mike Ashley remains the club’s owner.
The former Sunderland and Aston Villa manager led the Magpies to a 13th-placed finish last season after 11 wins, 11 draws and 16 losses.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund attempted to fund a £300 million takeover in the summer, and a host of big names were linked with the Newcastle job.
However, to the disappointment of the fans, that fell through and Bruce remained in charge.
The club are currently 15th in the table, eight points away from the relegation zone, and their recent run of nine league games without a win further turned the fans against Bruce.
They would love to have a new head coach right now, but whether they will be keen on Koeman is unknown.
He led Southampton to seventh-placed and six-placed finishes in his two seasons at St. Mary’s, and also helped Everton finish seventh in his first season at Goodison Park.
However, he was sacked three months into the following season after his side dropped into the relegation zone.
Everton had spent around £150 million on new players that summer, but Koeman could not get the best out of his team, with the failure to replace Romelu Lukaku dealing a huge blow on his side.