Barcelona Femeni have appointed Pere Romeu as their new head coach.
Romeu has signed a two-year contract to keep him at the club until 2026.
The 30-year-old succeeds Jonatan Giraldez after he departed the club at the end of the 2023-24 campaign to take charge of Washington Spirit. Romeu was one of Giraldez’s assistants and is a former Barcelona men’s youth team coach.
Rafel Navarro, another assistant to Giraldez, has been appointed as Romeu’s assistant coach.
🚨 És oficial…
𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐮 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ pic.twitter.com/N50Gx0hA6t— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) June 21, 2024
Romeu coached in the Barcelona men’s youth set-up between 2017 and 2020 and worked his way up to Cadet A (Under 16), where he coached current first-team player Gavi.
He joined Romanian side Viitorul Constanta as an assistant coach in 2020 before returning to Catalonia in 2021 to join the Barcelona Femeni coaching staff.
Barcelona won three Liga F titles and the Champions League twice during Giraldez’s three years in charge. The club say Romeu was a “fundamental part of technical analysis and match preparation” during Giraldez’s tenure.
Barcelona have already confirmed the departures of Mariona Caldentey and Sandra Panos ahead of the new season following the conclusion of their contracts this summer, while Nigeria forward Asisat Oshoala moved to Bay FC in February.
Alexia Putellas, Patri Guijarro, Mapi Leon and Marta Torrejon were all set to be out of contract but signed fresh terms last season. The signing of goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck on a free transfer from Manchester City was also confirmed this week.
Barcelona take continuity approach with Romeu appointment
Analysis from Laia Cervello Herrero
With Pere Romeu, FC Barcelona continues along the same approach that it has followed since 2019.
Halfway through the 2018-19 season, Fran Sanchez was sacked due to the team’s poor results in La Liga F and his assistant coach Lluis Cortes was appointed as his replacement. That same year, Cortes led the team to their first-ever Champions League final.
Giraldez was one of Cortes’ assistants and with latter’s departure, the former took over. Now that Giraldez is leaving, it makes sense for the team — in their financial situation and after a season in which they have won the title again — to preach continuity.
Giraldez had two assistants, Romeu and Navarro, and the choices for Barcelona’s head coach were between the two. The players are very happy with the current coaching staff and they also asked, as much as possible, for some continuity to be given to a project that has proved to be a winning one.
Both are specialists in tactical analysis and are the architects of some of the changes Barcelona have made tactically this season and the technical training of the players.
Navarro will take over as assistant coach. With this, the club guarantees the project that has made them consecutive Champions League winners and a peerless team in Spain. In addition, Navarro adapts perfectly to the difficult financial situation that the club is going through.
(Ramsey Cardy – Sportsfile/UEFA via Getty Images)
Read the full article here