Hansi Flick will take over FC Barcelona in the summer. According to media close to the club, the coaching team behind the former national team coach is also taking shape. One of the three names comes as a surprise
On Wednesday afternoon, Hansi Flick made it clear how eager he is for the task in Barcelona. The former national coach, who has been given a contract in Catalonia until 2026, can hardly wait to get started at the Spanish runners-up from the summer.
During the week, however, Barcelona gave no indication of who Flick would be bringing with him to Catalonia as part of the announcement. On Friday, however, Mundo Deportivo, which is close to the club, came out with quite specific names: according to the report, Flick will bring at least three German coaches with him on his adventure in La Liga.
It is an open secret that Marcus Sorg, who already assisted Flick at the DFB and was given leave of absence with him in September 2023, and goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic, who witnessed Flick’s era of success before he was sacked in Munich – much to the annoyance of national keeper Manuel Neuer – will follow.
The third appointment, however, comes as a surprise: Heiko Westermann will support Flick on his Barcelona mission. Westermann’s credentials are that he knows La Liga from his time at Real Betis (20 appearances in the 2015/16 season), speaks the language and follows youth soccer very closely.
Westermann started as assistant coach of the Germany U-15 national team in 2019 and then steadily moved up a grade before becoming assistant coach of the U-19 national team on July 1, 2023. Westermann is currently the assistant coach to Christian Wörns at U-19 level. The move to Barcelona would therefore be a huge one – also because Westermann has not yet been part of a professional coaching team. Flick, however, seems to trust him with the task
