It’s definitely a broad plebiscite. After Deco, the sports director, it is Joan Laporta who speaks publicly to ask Xavi to stay at FC Barcelona next season. However, the Catalan coach told the press on January 27, the evening of a big defeat at home to Villarreal (5-3) that he would leave at the end of the season. His contract runs until 2025 but the pressure of results, that of the media and the supporters is great. The 44-year-old technician asked to be able to breathe earlier than expected. Except that since this famous announcement, the Catalans have not lost again. Better yet, they qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League and even regained 2nd place in La Liga.
Obviously, this changes the situation and even before finding a new coach, Barça has made maintaining Xavi its priority, but we have to convince him. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, he already knows, I wish he would continuesupports Laporta in a long interview with Mundo Deportivo. But I already told him at the time, when he was talking about pressure, that here we are always under pressure with the experience he has. I asked him if there was any way he could change his mind, but I saw him with insurmountable pressure showing on his face, so I told him to relax if he saw it like that. He keeps saying that at the end of the season he will leave as we agreed, but we will see. Let's not put this pressure on ourselves because for the moment, this formula works. Therefore, we can always say no, no, no and…”
Laporta: “we did not speak with Luis Enrique”
Everyone understands that getting Xavi to reverse his decision will be the most complicated mission. The coach has already expressed this several times, he will not change his mind despite the numerous questions from the press at each conference on this subject. The support of its management already has much more weight, like that of the locker room. From Robert Lewandowski to Frenkie de Jong, including the young shoots of the club that Xavi is helping to blossom, everyone has expressed their wish to see him continue his mission at the head of the first team. This is even why Laporta has still not discussed with another coach. As long as he doesn't feel Xavi determined to leave, he will take his chance. The president of Barça even mentions the Luis Enrique case in this interview.
“Luis is a person that I like a lot, he has character, personality, he is very good, he has his ideas and I like this type of personsupports the president. But we haven't spoken with Luis or anyone because of the respect we have for Xavi. You will tell me, good, but it has to be decided before because all the coaches' agents tell you that. I say that whoever wants to come to Barça will have to wait until the end (of the season) because we will not touch anything until Xavi makes the decision. If he makes the decision to leave, those who really want to come to Barça will have to wait and will wait. If they don’t wait, nothing happens, we have a solution.” Coaches interested in the position have been notified. They will all come after Xavi.
