Israeli agent’s presence in Barcelona raises eyebrows

Israeli football agent Pini Zahavi arrives to attend the Ballon d'Or France Football 2019 ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris on December 2, 2019.

Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

FC Barcelona comprehensively defeated Getafe with a 4-0 scoreline in their last match in La Liga. There were several notable aspects in this match, most of them positive for Xavi and the Catalan club.

In addition to the action taking place on the pitch, there was also one presence among the spectators that only the keenest eyes noted, but which can have impacts even more significant for the Catalan club than the win last Saturday.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Israeli agent, Pini Zahavi, was in the box during the match between Barcelona and Getafe. In fact, the agent has been in Barcelona for several days now, and left the city after that match.

During this visit to the city, Zahavi held some meetings with Joan Laporta, and his presence alone is sufficient to show that something is underway at the Catalan club.

Zahavi already has one of his clients, Robert Lewandowski at the Blaugrana club. However, it is one of the managers on his list, Hansi Flick, for whom the Israeli was visiting the Catalan city.

The German coach, who engaged Zahavi as his agent only a few days ago, desires to take up his next sporting project at Barcelona, and the Israeli agent is already working on this operation.

Although he also has Thomas Tuchel among his clientele, his primary aim regarding Barcelona is to push for Flick’s appointment. The agent has a very good relationship with Laporta, and the latter described the former as his brother during Lewandowski’s presentation at Barcelona.

The meetings between Laporta and Zahavi were not held in a restaurant or any other public place because the agent wanted to keep his actions as discreet as possible.

While Zahavi’s visit can have important implications for the club in the long run, it needs to be kept in mind here that the Catalans are yet in no hurry to decide on Xavi’s successor, and will take their time to engage the best available option.

As things stand, Flick is only one of the options being considered, and nothing is certain about who will be the next Barcelona coach.