Jorge Sampaoli Wins 7 Fan Polls on Luis Enrique's Successor as Barcelona Manager

Barcelona fans have made it very clear who they want to replace outgoing manager Luis Enrique, as Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli has won all seven polls organised by Spain's top media outlets. 

As reported by Sport, the 56-year-old held a major lead in most of the polls, winning more than 50 per cent of the votes four times. Other popular picks include Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Ronald Koeman of Everton and Ernesto Valverde of Athletic Bilbao.

The Argentinian has been a rousing success at Sevilla this season, guiding the Andalusians to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. Los Nervionenses are also still alive in the title race in La Liga.

Per Jack Rathborn of the Daily Mirror, it's been quite the season for Sampaoli:

The former Chile national-team manager has done a particularly good job getting the most out of his individual players. Under his guidance, Stevan Jovetic again looks like a top striker, while Steven N'Zonzi will likely have his pick of top clubs after a fantastic season.

Sampaoli is wildly popular among the fans, as evidenced by the reception he received after guiding the team to a derby win over Real Betis, via 101 Great Goals:

But while Sampaoli is the favourite to take over from Enrique among the fans, the club reportedly feels differently. Barcelona want to go with a former player, giving the likes of Valverde and Koeman the edge.

Valverde in particular seems to be the favourite at this point, per Sport. He finished in the top three of most of the polls, although fans voting in Catalunyan newspapers―Sport and Mundo Deportivo―were less willing to give him the job than elsewhere in the country.

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The former Valencia boss has a solid track record with some of the lesser clubs in Spain's top division, but his lack of silverware could be a concern. The 53-year-old won the Greek league three times with Olympiakos but has barely won trophies elsewhere.

La Liga blogger Rafael Hernandez believes pressure from the fans for Sampaoli will not decrease if Sevilla's strong run continues:

Koeman is another candidate who would fit the Catalans' criteria, but he's in his first year with Everton and unlikely to leave the Toffees at this stage. The same holds true for Klopp, who appears intent on finding success with Liverpool before making another switch.

Former Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc also won some votes, and as the Frenchman is without a club, those negotiations would be among the easiest.