The top managerial position at Barcelona has experienced a roller coaster of a year. Xavi, who started the season in the best of spirits after having won the La Liga title last season, had already announced his decision to depart from the club at the end of the season in January, and the ensuing few months were filled with uncertainty about who will lead the team for the next season.
This uncertainty evaporated only in April, when the club President, Joan Laporta, and Xavi appeared for a press conference together and announced the commitment of both parties to continue working together for the next season.
Now, when it seemed like everything is settled, and Xavi will have another season to guide the team back to glory, another report by SPORT claims that the former midfielder will actually not continue on the Barcelona bench for the next season.
The report claims that this decision had already been taken by Laporta on Thursday, after Xavi’s press conference and before the match against Almeria, which Barcelona won 2-0 with a Fermin Lopez brace. However, this will not be officially announced until the match against Rayo Vallecano is concluded.
While the match went in Xavi’s favor, it was the press conference which caused Laporta to pull the trigger on the head coach. Responding to one of the questions from the journalists, Xavi had stated that it would be very difficult for his side to compete with Real Madrid and other big European clubs mainly because of Barcelona’s economic difficulties.
Xavi wanted some significant changes in the squad to ensure that the mistakes of the last season were not repeated this season, and went on to warn the club’s supporters that, unlike the past few decades, the Catalans cannot sign any player that they want in the market.
Laporta was very disappointed with these words from his head coach and did not even travel to watch the game against Almeria, while Deco was also absent from this match. Meanwhile, after consulting members of the sports commission and some of his directors, Laporta took the decision to go back on the agreement that he had sealed with Xavi back in April.
Meanwhile, Xavi spoke to the media after the match as well, and made it clear that no one from the club had contacted him in regards to his future or his press conference, and was unaware of the new developments taking place at the club.
A victory against Rayo Vallecano in their next match will seal the second-place finish for Barcelona, and after this match, the club will talk to Xavi again about his future, and convey to him the decision that Laporta has already made.