‘He has to talk to us’ – Deco leaves the door open for Xavi to continue at Barcelona

Speaking in an interview on Que T’hi Jugues, Barcelona sporting director Deco has confirmed that the door will be open for Xavi Hernandez to stay at the club if he changes his mind.

Xavi announced his decision to vacate his post as the Barcelona manager at the end of the season following the harrowing defeat to Villarreal back in January.

Since then, though, things have been going very well for the Catalans as they have not lost a single game. In fact, they have climbed up to second place in La Liga and are through to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.

Despite having been linked with various different managers, nobody at the club is ruling out the possibility of Xavi continuing even though the Spaniard himself has reiterated that his decision will not change.

Now, Deco has spoken on the matter, stating that if Xavi changes his decision, Barcelona would be willing to talk to him about the possibilities.

“Xavi keeps telling us that his decision is irreversible. If something changes, he has to talk to us. If he tells us he wants to continue, we should talk to him,” said the Barcelona director.

“I didn’t want Xavi to leave at the end of the season,” he added.

Could Xavi stay at Barcelona? (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)

Praising the work that the former midfielder has done at the club, Deco added: “If there is a coach with courage and who has never complained, it is Xavi. He is always positive, it is a luxury to work with him. He will leave for history a Barça that rebuilt itself.”

Deco also confirmed that Barcelona had not yet spoken with any managerial candidate, although they are monitoring the market.

“Barcelona has not made any move with any coach. We haven’t spoken to anyone, but we know who is available and we are paying attention,” he affirmed.

Barcelona will face PSG in the UCL quarterfinals next month. And there have been links to the Parisians’ manager Luis Enrique as a possible candidate to succeed Xavi.

While that appears to be a distant possibility, Deco did express his admiration for the former Barcelona head coach, saying:

“Luis Enrique? I really like him. He is a reference at all levels, as a coach, manager and as a person. He has all the things of a top coach.”