FC Barcelona have already announced that Xavi Hernandez will be leaving the club at the end of the season, and while there has been no communication from the club regarding his replacement, the candidate looking most likely to take over from the former midfielder is the German tactician, Hansi Flick.
Throughout this season, several weak areas in Barcelona’s squad have become evident, which the club would have wanted to reinforce regardless of who takes charge of the team next.
However, given the stylistic differences between Xavi and Flick, the German coach will likely seek to implement additional changes to the team as well.
This looks definitely to be the case from a report from SPORT, which claims that Flick has several plans about his Barcelona team that involve both departures and arrivals.
The report claims that the German is worried about the Catalan club’s current squad, but understands that the club will have to return to the 1:1 rule before being able to get his desired players.
Thus, during the discussions he has had with Barcelona officials in the last few days, he seems open to parting ways with one or two starters in the current team in order to turn around the sporting situation.
Deco and Flick are in agreement that the most urgent need of the team is that of a midfield pivot, and the favorite of the club, for now, is Joshua Kimmich, whose history of working with the German coach, the situation at Bayern Munich, and proven quality all make him an ideal candidate for this position.
The potential Barcelona coach has also given his approval for Guido Rodriguez’s signing as a free agent. Furthermore, Flick is particularly concerned about the team’s flanks, and considers this area to be most in need of a change.
Joao Cancelo can be retained if he can stay in the team on another loan next season, but other options will also be assessed in the market.
Similarly, Alejandro Balde can also be retained in the team, but if a good offer arrives for him, Barcelona can let him leave, especially as Flick is looking for more solvency and forcefulness at the back.
Hector Fort and Julian Araujo will be given opportunities to fight for a place in the squad in the preseason, but they will only be squad players, while the starters are yet to be finalized.
After reinforcing these positions, the new coach will look to get another winger, with Nico Williams being the ideal candidate. However, Luis Diaz has also been touted as a favorite of Deco, but Raphniha’s sale might be essential to get either of these two players.
As opposed to Xavi, Flick does not want another interior midfielder, and believes he already has enough players to play this role. Thus, Barcelona will not have to pursue Bernardo Silva any longer, and Xavi Simons not returning to the club will also not hurt the coach too much.
