Barcelona's Spanish coach Xavi smiles on the sidelines prior the Spanish league football match between RC Celta de Vigo and FC Barcelona at the Balaidos stadium in Vigo on February 17, 2024.

Boardroom and locker-room factors in Xavi’s decision to leave Barcelona

Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images

FC Barcelona are going through a period of very high uncertainty at the moment, especially as Xavi Hernandez has announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season.

The Catalans already had a very busy summer ahead of them, as they will have to strengthen some areas of the team while keeping within their FFP and other financial constraints.

But now, they will also have to look for a suitable successor to Xavi on the Barcelona bench, without being able to offer him a lot of signing budget.

It is clear that Xavi Hernandez loves Barcelona, and his decision to leave his position had a lot to do with his inability to get the required results from the team. However, SPORT reveals how things had gotten increasingly difficult for Xavi behind the scenes ever since his arrival at the club.

The report claims that the Barcelona head coach’s position at the club had become increasingly complicated with the departure of some key figures from Barcelona. The departures of Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff, especially, had a negative impact on Xavi’s standing at the club.

Things became even harder with Deco’s appointment as the Sporting Director, as Xavi was not provided with the required protection and had too many fronts open within the club.

Thus, the former midfielder decided to leave his beloved club only six months after the Portuguese official’s appointment. Furthermore, Xavi’s problems were not limited to the boardroom, as he also faced issues from the squad.

Only last week, he held a two-hour-long meeting with the players, as he tried to arrive at a solution for the lack of commitment they are showing. Sources from the locker room suggest that Xavi is unable to understand the attitudes of some of his players.

Thus, not being in line either with the decision makers or his players, Xavi decided to leave Barcelona, especially as he did not want to become a problem for the Catalan club.

But only his departure and the club’s experience with his successor will clarify whether Xavi was the problem or whether there are other deeper issues prevalent at Barcelona.

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