A big news came out of Barcelona on January 27th. That’s when Barcelona’s coach Xavi announced, totally out of the blue, that he is leaving the club in June, no matter what. He even stated after a 5-3 loss from Villarreal that he wouldn’t change his mind even if the Catalans win the Champions League, claiming that the feeling of being Barca coach is a ‘cruel and unpleasant one’. Life has continued since, and Xavi is without a defeat, with four wins and two draws in all competitions, so some people wonder if it would be logical to ask the Spanish tactician to change his mind. And according to the Barcelona-based newspaper Sport, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has not given up hope of convincing Xavi to stay on. The newspaper claims that an informal approach has been made in order to find out his thoughts about the idea. Sport also claims that finding Xavi’s successor is currently the main reason for this move, as many top targets have already turned down the job. The main reasons for declining the offer to take control of one of the most popular clubs in the world are the financial state of the team, which rules out any significant signing (unless it’s a free agent), but also the pressure which comes with the job. When Barcelona’s ‘child’ Xavi could not handle it, why would anyone else be bothered?Arsenal eyes Barca’s Senegalese centre-back, but there are four more contenders for the boyBut on the other side is another Barcelona-based newspaper Mundo Deportivo, which claims that Xavi’s entourage declined any possibility that the coach will change his mind. But, just in case, sporting director Deco was asked about the possibility.“If Xavi can continue? If something changes, I will not say that we cannot raise it. We have nothing against Xavi. It is not a decision that the club or the sports management has made. At the moment, that possibility does not exist. And if it happens, we will discuss it” said Deco, leaving the door slightly open in case something extraordinary happens.Barca’s and Arsenal’s indecisiveness pushed Neves to chose Saudi ArabiaSo, as things stand, Xavi will leave Camp Nou in June 2024. And what about replacements, then? Deco thinks that talking about this in February is still ‘early’.“We have not made any decision because I consider that it is early and that there are many things ahead. The season is not over. There is a lot ahead. There is a team and a cycle. There are things to achieve. We would like to be in the Champions League next season and this conditions, we want to reach the Champions League final , there are options in the League … We are end of February, a lot can happen. First, what project do we want, knowing exactly what we can do, what players we have. Most of them want to be there and there are not many high-level coaches on the market. The majority have a contract, there will be many movements, at the moment we will make the right decision. It is not the time” explained the director.##NAJAVA_MECA_7910239##
