With so few managerial options on the table for Barcelona, it appears the man who will keep it most sturdy is likely to be the one appointed.

Ernesto Valverde won’t set Barca fans’ pulse racing, but what he will do is potentially re-energise a burnt-out, flagging club. He did the same at Athletic Bilbao post their draining Marcelo Bielsa era, and while the Basque outfit may not operate at the same level as Barça, managing them does come with it’s own unique pressures.

Athletic hadn’t won a trophy for 31 years before Valverde stepped foot in the club. After just three years with club he’d ended the drought. And there is the Athletic’s rise and consolidation within LaLiga’s European chasing pack. In the 21st century without Valverde, they spent two of 12 seasons in the top seven. With Valverde however they dramatically changed face, and spent five of six seasons in the top seven. While he was blessed with much better squads than his predecessors, his work with them and ability to extract every last bit of potential can’t be underestimated.

As he’s consistently done in all his jobs, with the exception perhaps being Villarreal where the fans never really took to him, Valverde has improved teams and in some cases exceeded expectations. He took Espanyol to a UEFA Cup Final for example - nineteen years after their last one - and when asked to steady the Valencia ship took them from 12th in week 14 of the season to a fifth place finish. In Greece he’s still remembered fondly too, where with Olympiakos he achieved three league titles and two cup triumphs.

Athletic will consider themselves to be in a better place too, overall, but it maybe hasn’t ended so well. The Athletic fanbase can be demanding and intense at times, something often overlooked in Spanish football - it’s usually a claim thrown in Valencia’s direction. In the Basque Country however they have standards given the history of the club, and despite their well-known player policy, expectations remain high. It’s partly why Valverde is walking away and not heading into a fifth consecutive year with the club.

He acknowledged as much in his farewell press conference, along with the belief his work with the club is done.

“A change will be good for the players - and me too” stated Valverde, before continuing to stress this decision would suit everyone.

"It is okay for there to be movement in football and someone to come in with new ideas for the players."