Barcelona's Spanish coach Xavi looks on following the pre-season friendly football match between AC Milan and FC Barcelona, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 1, 2023.

Xavi’s stay can allow Barcelona to land Guardiola, Enrique or Arteta – report

Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

The head coach position at FC Barcelona is subject to a lot of uncertainty at the moment. Xavi had already announced in January that he would be leaving this position at the end of the season.

However, his departure is still not fully confirmed, even though the team’s hopes of winning a title this season have entirely faded.

The Catalans were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League last Tuesday with their defeat to PSG, while in La Liga, their defeat to Real Madrid last Sunday puts them eleven points behind the Merengues in the table.

With these defeats, FC Barcelona have already started working on the appointment of Xavi’s successor, with Rafa Marquez being reported to be the favorite of the club to replace Xavi on the bench.

However, there were also other reports that indicated that Xavi still wants to stay at the club, but will have some conditions to do so. The current head coach would want a promise of new signings.

As things stand, Laporta is not entirely convinced with any of the options, and his increased trust in Xavi in recent weeks has mainly been because of results and not because of any real conviction in his abilities.

Similarly, Rafa Marquez is also not fully convincing, and the Barcelona Atletic coach understands that Xavi has more of a chance of being the Barcelona trainer next season than him. However, he also realizes that the current coach might not last the full next season and that there could be a change mid-season.

Regarding outside options, neither Flick nor Tuchel convince Laporta. However, according to SPORT, the club is aware that the contracts of Arteta, Luis Enrique, and Pep Guardiola run out next season and they can be available for appointment if the club waits for a year.

Thus, letting Xavi stay in charge for the one year left in his contract can be a good option for Barcelona, as recent results make him a deserving candidate for another season, and if things do not improve, the Catalans can negotiate with one of these dream candidates to be their next manager.

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