Currently without a club: former Barcelona coach a candidate to lead the Bats

Ernesto Valverde, the former Barcelona coach, has emerged as the favourite to take charge of Valencia during the coming period.

Tribuna, citing radio station Cadena COPE, reported that Valverde is the preferred candidate of Valencia's sporting director, Braulio Vazquez, to succeed Carlos Corberan, who was sacked following poor results.

Valencia sit bottom of La Liga with a single point. They have failed to win any of their first five matches, and that dismal run prompted the club to make sweeping changes.

Chief executive Ron Gourlay and his team of directors also lost their jobs. Vazquez then arrived as the new sporting director, leaving Osasuna to take up the role.

Now Vazquez faces one of the first big calls of his tenure, with reports indicating that Valverde tops his list to take charge until the end of the season.

Few candidates can match Valverde's experience at the highest level. His spell in charge of Barcelona brought two La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

The 62-year-old was last in the dugout at Athletic Bilbao, and he left the Basque club this summer. He is currently without a club.