The current situation within FC Barcelona is undoubtedly a gloomy one, to say the least. After a rather unfortunate loss to Villarreal, some major news broke out regarding the management of the club. At the end of the season, Xavi Hernandez is set to step down as head coach of FC Barcelona in June of 2024.
However, it is worth noting that while a lot of the blame for this disappointing season has gone towards Xavi, it seems ridiculous to believe that it is justified. While he has been at fault for several things without a doubt, there is also a factor to consider beyond just the on-field management.
When it comes to signings of his choice, Xavi was not provided with any this season. Sergio Busquets departed before this season commenced, and the Barcelona coach needed a suitable replacement for his captain and star pivot. However, the latest revelations provided by SPORT highlight how his calls for three key signings were not reciprocated.
As per SPORT, Barcelona initially assured Xavi that the club would be able to bring Bernardo Silva, Joshua Kimmich, and Martin Zubimendi. The Spaniard was Xavi’s ideal choice to replace Busquets, and the other two signings were the right kind of star power the team needed, as per the coach.
However, over the course of the summer, this confidence began to stutter. Ultimately, it was Deco who met with Xavi and told him to ‘forget about Kimmich, Bernardo Silva, and Zubimendi’.
Due to the club’s limited financial allowance, none of the three stars could be brought in from Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Real Sociedad respectively.
Instead, it was Oriol Romeu who was allowed to join after Barcelona purchased him from Girona. Costing La Blaugrana around €3.4 million, he was Xavi’s alternative option with a low cost for the pivot role in his team. While Romeu was initially promising, it did not take him too long to lose the faith of the management either.
With Xavi now set to leave at the end of the season, perhaps this failure to back up his demands can be considered a massive reason behind the departure.
For now, SPORT highlights that if things become too unsustainable, the Catalan club could choose to have Rafa Marquez take over even before the season concludes, at least as an interim coach at first.
