Luis Enrique Announces He Won't Return as Barcelona Manager Next Season

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has confirmed he will not sign a new contract at the Camp Nou and will leave his post at the end of the season.

The announcement was made following the Blaugrana's 6-1 win over Sporting Gijon on Wednesday, per Sky Sports' Guillem Balague:

The manager outlined the reason's for his departure, per Rik Sharma of Sport:

Enrique is in his third season at the club and has led the team to the La Liga title twice, the Copa del Rey twice and the UEFA Champions League in the 2014-15 term.

However, with the team trailing Real Madrid in La Liga for much of the campaign and suffering a humiliating 4-0 UEFA Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain recently, pressure has started to mount on the club's former midfielder.

Sky Sports Statto took a look at the coach's impressive record since taking over at the club and his trophy haul in full:

Enrique has cut an increasingly lonely figure in recent weeks on the sidelines, and while certain sections of the Camp Nou have chanted his name, they've often been drowned out by a cacophony of jeers.

The manager deserves praise for the job he's done at the club, though. The axis of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar started to flourish under his watch, and the trio has since become the most feared attacking force in football.

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To win a treble of trophies in his first season in charge is an extraordinary achievement, too. While Barcelona failed to retain the Champions League last term, a league and cup double is no small consolation prize.

The Blaugrana could still end up with a couple of trophies this term as well, yet it feels as though the time is right for the manager and the club to go their separate ways.

While Pep Guardiola was revered for winning three titles in his first full season, Enrique was never quite privy to such acclaim. Barcelona still played exhilarating football under his tutelage through the aforementioned triumvirate, but it was more direct than the scrupulous play showcased under Guardiola and synonymous with that of Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team."

In terms of a replacement, as sports journalist Rafael Hernandez noted, Sevilla's Jorge Sampaoli looks to be the outstanding candidate:

According to Miguel Delaney of The Independent, Sampaoli is one of the front-runners to take over the job, as is Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde, who played for the Catalan giants.

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Although whoever replaces Enrique will have sensational players to work with, there's a big job to do. Barca have lacked an aggression, organisation and intensity to match their pristine passing patterns at times this season. As PSG proved, those traits are vital to succeed at the highest level.

The challenge for Enrique in the final weeks of his tenure will be to win the Copa del Rey final against Alaves and reel in Real Madrid in pursuit of a third title in succession. Regardless, given the success he's enjoyed at the Camp Nou in a relatively short period, he can walk away with his head held high.