Barcelona Femení has appointed Pere Romeu as the new coach, with a two-year contract that will keep him at the club until 2026. The 30-year-old Romeu succeeds Jonatan Giráldez, who left the club at the end of the 2023-24 season to lead the Washington Spirit. Romeu, formerly an assistant to Giráldez and a former coach of Barcelona’s youth men’s teams, now takes on the role of head coach.
Who is Pere Romeu the new coach of Barcelona
🎬🤝 La signatura del nou entrenador pic.twitter.com/VJmy4QrfDr
— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) June 21, 2024
Rafel Navarro, also an assistant to Giráldez, has been named Romeu’s assistant coach. Romeu worked with Barcelona’s youth men’s teams from 2017 to 2020, reaching the level of the cadet A (Under 16), where he coached current first-team player Gavi. Under Giráldez’s leadership, Barcelona won three Liga F titles and two Champions League titles, with Romeu playing a crucial role in technical analysis and match preparation.
Ahead of the upcoming season, Barcelona Femení has confirmed the departures of Mariona Caldentey and Sandra Paños, whose contracts expired this summer, while Nigerian forward Asisat Oshoala transferred to Bay FC in February. However, Alexia Putellas, Patri Guijarro, Mapi León, and Marta Torrejón have all renewed their contracts. Additionally, this week saw the announcement of the acquisition of goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck from Manchester City.
With Pere Romeu, FC Barcelona continues the approach initiated in 2019. Giráldez had been an assistant to Cortés and took over as head coach upon Cortés’s departure. Now that Giráldez has left, the team, considering its financial situation and a winning season, has opted to maintain continuity.
Both Romeu and Navarro are specialists in tactical analysis and have contributed to Barcelona’s tactical changes this season as well as the technical preparation of the players. With Navarro as assistant coach, the club ensures the continuation of the project that led them to win their second Champions League title and become the dominant team in Spanish women’s football.
The appointment of Pere Romeu comes just two days after Joe Montemurro was named head coach of Olympique Lyon.
