Ten Cate believes his compatriot is doing an ‘extraordinary job’ at the Camp Nou and he deserves to be part of the La Liga giants' future.
Koeman was named Barcelona head coach before the beginning of this campaign following the dismissal of Quique Setien after the abysmal end to the 2019/2020 season, where Barcelona missed out on winning the league title and got knocked out of the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Being the manager of Barcelona has not been all rosy for Koeman as the Catalans had to endure a torrid time at some point this season.
Barcelona’s season is fairly back on track despite being crashed out of the Champions League Round of 16 stage by Paris Saint-Germain. The Catalans are in the Copa del Rey final and still in the fight to win La Liga.
Ten Cate, who was an assistant coach under Frank Rijkaard in Catalonia, has compared Barcelona’s current situation to their time and insists the re-elected president Joan Laporta could help bring success back to the club.
“What Koeman is doing is extraordinary, he deserves an opportunity to be part of the new project,” Ten Cate told Catalunya Radio.
“He’s done a great job, really good, and it’s happened a bit like it did with us. He’s made the team grow day by day and now it’s much better than three months ago.
“We [at Barcelona] also worked with really young players, like Xavi, [Victor] Valdes, [Andres] Iniesta, Gabri, Oleguer and later [Lionel] Messi. You have to remember that we had to do without 15 players who were let go.
“Joan Laporta is the best because he knows the football world and has a great ability for valuing people. He always believed in our work, with the support of Johan Cruyff, of course. He was always on our side, he believed in what we were doing, he knew we needed time and he gave it to us.”
