FC Barcelona have reportedly decided on who they want to replace Xavi Hernandez as their manager after the club legend revealed he will quit the Camp Nou at the end of the season.
The former Barcelona and Spain midfielder took charge in November 2021 after leaving Qatari club Al Sadd and guided the club to the Spanish title in his first full season in charge in 2022-23.
However, Saturday’s 5-3 home defeat by Villarreal leaves them 10 points behind current LaLiga leaders Real Madrid.
“I’ve been a man of the club. I’ve prioritised it above even myself. I’ve given everything I have,” said Xavi. “And I will continue to do so to make the fans feel proud.”
“I think the club needs a change of dynamic. For the good of the players, I believe that they will free themselves. We play with a lot of tension.
“For the good of the board of directors, it is best that I leave. I will give my best. I think all of that will help the dynamic change. This is the message I would like to give. I think I am doing the right thing.”
Xavi also claims that the job has taken its toll and the time is right for him to step back for his mental health.
“In Barcelona, you always feel like you’re not valued, you’re mistreated – that’s how the club works,” he said.
“From a mental-health level, it’s tough too. I am a positive guy, but the battery levels keep running out – and at some point, you realise there’s no point in staying.”
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Klopp unlikely to be on Barcelona radar
In terms of who will take over from Xavi, early reports from Spain suggested that departing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could head to Catalonia.
The German shocked the football landscape when he announced he would be walking away from the job he has had since 2015,
However, Klopp also insisted that he will not be taking another job for a while and will never manage another Premier League team.
That has not stopped rumours of him moving to another team outside of England though, with Serie A side Roma the latest side linked after they sacked Jose Mourinho.
But it appears that a switch to Barcelona is not on the agenda, with Cadena SER naming another former Barcelona man in, Thiago Motta, as the man most likely to take the reins.
The Brazilian is doing a superb job at Bologna, who are currently seventh in Serie A and just three points off a Champions League spot.
Motta spent six years at Barcelona and is said to be “very much to the liking” of Joan Laporta, who sees him as a replacement for Xavi.
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