FC Barcelona has stopped the search for a new head coach because it has already decided who will replace Xavi Hernandez if he steps down on June 30 according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources.
Xavi announced that he will leave the hotseat on said date back in January, following a devastating 5-3 La Liga loss to Villarreal at the Montjuic Stadium.
Making his decision public so early seems to have had a profound effect on his players, who have performed as though they have a point to prove.
Barca is unbeaten in 13 games after being sunk by the ‘Yellow Submarine’, and is on the brink of reaching the Champions League last four for the first time since 2019 if it beats or draws against PSG in a quarterfinal second leg tie at the same ground while already leading 3-2 on aggregate.
President Joan Laporta has made no secret of trying to get the club legend to stay on in his role, and revealed such a development to Mundo Deportivo last month.
“I told him: we respect the fact that you’re here until the end of the season. It’s your decision. We’re doing well, we’re getting better and better. Look, since he’s said it, he’s won again and we’re winking at each other as if to say something can happen here. It’s going like this, it’s going better [than before] and the objectives are achieved”.
“Xavi already knows that I would like him to continue, but I already told him at the time, when he said about the pressure, that here we are always under pressure with the experience that you have,” Laporta explained.
The same paper says that positive results and being backed financially in the transfer market are two prerequisites for Xavi to commit for at least another year.
Over at rival publication SPORT, they reveal that while other candidates such as Roberto De Zerbi and Hansi Flick have been talked about, the search for a successor has stopped.
In short, the club wants Xavi to continue. If he doesn’t, though, it has already been decided that his replacement will be Rafa Marquez.
The Mexican is one of Xavi’s former playing days teammates and currently oversees the reserve team, Barca Atletic.
This means he knows the club and its youngsters coming through quite well. If he is ready for senior football management in the elite is another thing entirely, however.