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8 months ago
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Despite wanting to convince Xavi to stay at the club beyond this summer, Barcelona are now at a crossroads regarding their managerial situation.
The board organised a meeting today at the Barcelona offices, but it seems they failed to reach a mutual consensus about Xavi’s continuity, with some officials voting for a change of manager at the end of the season.
At the same time, it also being reported that Xavi is exhausted and does not have the energy to continue as the coach, which he also stated previously during press conferences citing that his work was not appreciated enough.
Furthermore, with the club still in financial turmoil, the coach presumably does not believe that the squad is good enough to compete at the highest level in Europe right now.
Xavi seems on his way out. (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)
Rafa Marquez not a priority
As it stands, Xavi has one foot out of the club already, and all things point towards a change of manager at the end of the season.
However, contrary to previous reports, Gerard Romero has stated that Barcelona are not considering promoting Barça Atletic coach Rafael Marquez to take over coaching duties from Xavi in case he leaves.
While he has done an impressive job with the youth team, the Mexican lacks ample experience at the highest level, which is a huge obstacle en route to him becoming the coach of the senior team.
What are Barcelona’s options?
As rumored over the last couple of months, one name has come up as a frontrunner for the job in the form of Hansi Flick, who is out of a contract right now.
The German is enthusiastic about taking over coaching duties at Barcelona and has reportedly already inquired about the squad and the city as part of his ‘extensive research’.
Robert De Zerbi’s name was also discussed, but it seems the option of hiring him is no longer a priority, especially due to his release clause.
Current Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel is also an option as the Champions League winning manager is set to leave Germany at the end of the season.
