Two days ago, Xavi Hernandez announced that he would be leaving FC Barcelona at the end of the current season. The team has already missed out on two trophies and is also not very likely to be able to win La Liga or the Champions League, and Xavi has been under immense pressure for the last few months.
But as shocking as Xavi’s announcement to leave was, it was still not the only one that has shaken the world of football in recent days. For instance, only some hours before Xavi’s announcement, the Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, had also announced his decision to step away from the English club at the end of this season.
Still, this matter does not seem to be coming to an end soon, as SPORT reports that the Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has also communicated to people around him that he has been considering saying goodbye to the London side at the end of this season.
The former Arsenal midfielder, who had started his senior career at Barcelona, has a contract in force at Arsenal till 2025. He has a good relationship with his current club, which will allow him to leave his position without much resistance, but he will wait till the end of the season before making a final decision.
The possibility that both Xavi and Arteta will leave their clubs at the same time naturally leads to speculation that the latter will be an option to replace the former on the Barcelona bench for the next season. However, the report by SPORT mentions that the Catalans have not yet undertaken any contact with Arteta or his entourage up to now.
As things stand, Arteta has only won three trophies with Arsenal, one FA Cup, and two Community Shields. But he has got the Gunners fighting once again for the Premier League and getting a Champions League spot.
Laporta likes the Arsenal manager a lot and has frequently singled him out as a manager with an ideal style to lead Barcelona. Similarly, Barcelona fans also look favorably upon Arteta for this position.
