Barcelona on Tuesday announced the dismissal of coach Ernesto Valverde after two years as the gaffer of the Catalan giant.

The club disclosed that it has now appointed former Real Betis coach Quique Setien as manager of the first team

Setien, 61, guided Betis to their highest finish since 2005 and to the Copa del Rey semis before leaving in May.

He has agreed to a two-and-a-half-year deal and will be unveiled to the media at 13:30 GMT on Tuesday.

Valverde, 55, helped the club to two successive La Liga titles and they lead on goal difference this season.

However, the Catalan side have produced a plethora of below par displays under his leadership, chief of which was the shocking defeat to Liverpool at Anfield last season, and their failure to reach the Champions League final.

In a statement, Barca said they had reached an agreement with Valverde to terminate his contract and thanked him “for his professionalism, his commitment, his dedication and his always positive treatment towards all that make up the Barca family”.

https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/1216846220578230273/photo/1

Former Barcelona midfielder was reported contacted for the role over the weekend but he turned down the offer as he prefers to retain his job at Al Sadd