Exclusive: Xavi still hopes to be Barcelona manager next season, says expert

Barcelona manager Xavi has been discussing his future and seemingly playing down talk that he’ll be leaving his position as manager at the end of this season.

It’s been a slightly crazy few months at Barca, with Xavi previously announcing a few months ago that he’d be stepping down at the end of this campaign, before then changing his mind.

Now, however, there’s fresh speculation that Barcelona president Joan Laporta could be ready to sack Xavi, though Fabrizio Romano, speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, made it clear that the Spanish tactician had not yet spoken to the president, and hoped to still be in charge at the Nou Camp next season.

Xavi won La Liga with Barcelona last season but one imagines some fans will have mixed feelings about the job he’s done overall, with the Catalan giants still not the force they used to be.

While Xavi seems a decent manager, it’s not yet clear if he’s truly in the same category as some of the very finest coaches in the world right now, and some fans might feel they could do well to sack him and try to bring in an upgrade.

Xavi latest from Fabrizio Romano

Discussing the latest on Xavi’s future, Romano said: “Xavi has addressed speculation about his future, with so much back and forth over whether or not he’s going to be staying on as Barcelona manager.

“This situation will be clear as soon as Xavi will speak to Joan Laporta. The president didn’t tell him or his agent anything, but after the next game there will be a direct talk and we will understand what happens.

“For now, Xavi hasn’t been informed of anything, that’s why he keeps repeating that for him it’s all good – and he still hopes to be Barcelona manager for next season of course.”