Barcelona may have halted their search for a new manager, but internally there is still an attitude that a parting of ways with Xavi Hernandez may be for the best. Sporting Director Deco has narrowed down their shortlist of replacements to three or four names, but they are not conducting interviews in order to see how the season plays out.
While Deco continues to leave the door open for Xavi to continue, and rumours contineue to bubble up that he could end up staying, Xavi himself has maintained that he will not. As per Sport, the club will continue to show full support for Xavi in public until the end, but internally there is a feeling that they are happy to move on and start a new project.
That said, President Joan Laporta will not make a decisive move until he knows that the Xavi era is over for good. If the Blaugrana can get past Paris Saint-Germain and into the semi-finals of the Champions League then he will try to change Xavi’s mind on his departure.
It may be that Laporta is not especially keen on the alternatives available to replace Xavi, or that he simply believes Xavi is the best person for the job. On account of the budgetary constraints at Barcelona, Xavi is probably more willing to put up with shortcomings than other top managers who do not have an attachment to the club.
