Barcelona are currently hunting for a new manager, but there are those within the club who would rather hold onto Xavi Hernandez. The current coach announced his decision to leave in the summer in late January following a harrowing home defeat to Villarreal, but President Joan Laporta wants him to stay.
Xavi said he made the decision in order to relieve the pressure on his players, and also stated that ‘the club needs a change’ in order to move forward. Since, matters have improved somewhat, although Barcelona are still eight points off Real Madrid. Recent reports have also claimed that Xavi is unlikely to change his mind, and that he is already planning his sabbatical next year.
As Sporting Director Deco looks to narrow down Barcelona’s managerial shortlist, it appears as if that that search is proving more difficult than they would like. With their financial situation as it is, the Blaugrana are forced to admit that the transfer market and their plans for the summer are up in the air, but that there is still a demand to win silverware next season.
🚨 Simone Inzaghi is also in Barça's mind to replace Xavi. @tuttosport pic.twitter.com/aNhknhcA9z
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 28, 2024
According to Sport, Laporta has informally asked Xavi to stay on, and has made a genuine attempt to make him see that fulfilling final year of his contract would be best for the club. Vice-President Rafael Yuste has also made it clear he would rather that Xavi continued. They believe the dressing room is also behind him, and given his knowledge of the club and their situation, it would be best.
It will no doubt come as a worry to Barcelona fans that having assessed some of the options, the Barcelona board have concluded they would rather Xavi to continue in the job. All of the most commonly linked candidates have come from backgrounds outside of Barcelona, and without that link, they may be finding it harder to sell the project to the top managers in the game given their precarious economy.
Barcelona