Valverde vows to make Barcelona 'even greater than it already is'

Ernesto Valverde intends to take Barcelona to even greater heights following his appointment as manager.

The former Athletic Bilbao manager was unveiled as Luis Enrique's successor Wednesday during a press conference in which he outlined his lofty ambitions for a Barcelona outfit that finished the season as Copa del Rey champion, but fell three points shy of lifting the Liga trophy.

"It's a privilege to come here," Valverde is quoted as saying on Barcelona's website, as translated by Samuel Marsden of ESPNFC. "I feel very lucky that the club had me in mind and offered me the job.

"I am very excited about heading into this new stage of my career. It's an enormous challenge and I have the intention of making Barcelona even greater than it already is."

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed the manager's arrival Monday after the 53-year-old put pen to paper on a two-year contract.

It's believed Valverde's familiarity with the club gave him an advantage over other candidates following his brief spell with Barcelona as a player from 1988-90

"It was a long time ago," Valverde said. "I'm older now, my hair is grey and this is a totally different time. I'm a lot more conscious now of what it means to take this step. I was very young back then. I came back to other clubs, and now Barca too."

Between his two stints as Bilbao manager, Valverde led Espanyol to a Copa del Rey triumph before moving to Greece where he helped Olympiacos capture three league titles