Barcelona is once again debating the future of Xavi Hernández less than a month after president Joan Laporta and the coach himself announced at a press conference that the Catalan would continue for at least one more season, sources told ESPN.
The official version from Barcelona is that nothing has changed, but sources told ESPN that they “do not rule out” the dismissal of Xavi and insist that Laporta has never trusted the coach.
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Another source added that there is an internal dispute in the club over Xavi's continuity because, although some voices are in favor of his permanence, Laporta has been under pressure for weeks both from within his own board and from outside the club for him to leave the club. coach.
From Xavi's squad they try to reduce tension and ask for “calm”, but, according to sources told ESPN, they have not yet received any information from the board about his possible departure despite the fact that speculation began before Thursday's 2-2 win. 0 on Almería.
Sources close to Laporta and Xavi are not surprised by this new turn of events because they see in the president a person who leads the club from the “emotional” side.
On this occasion, the trigger that precipitated Laporta's new doubts about Xavi's continuity was the press conference prior to the match against Almería in which the Catalan coach referred to the economic difficulties that are hindering Barça's aspirations to conquer trophies.
Subsequently, Laporta did not travel with the team to Almería, as he would normally have done. Sources said he is weighing up whether Xavi should continue in the role, with various internal and external influences pushing for the coach to be sacked.
Xavi, 44, announced his plans to resign at the end of the season in January, but did a U-turn on that decision last month despite Barça's elimination from the Champions League and defeat to Real. Madrid in LaLiga, which left the Blaugrana on the brink. of a campaign without trophies.
That decision came after a meeting with Laporta at his home in Barcelona, but sources claim that Xavi's speech on Wednesday was different to the optimism he had shown the president that April afternoon.
“We are going to try to compete,” Xavi said this week. “The economic situation is difficult. It has nothing to do with what happened 25 years ago, when the coach came and said 'I like this player, this one and this one.'
“It doesn't work like that anymore. The fans need to understand the situation. As a coach, I understand what is happening and this is how we are going to manage things.
“Right now we are not in the same conditions as other clubs with better [financial] Fair play, that's the reality. Fans should know. But this does not mean that we will not try to achieve our goals.”
Those comments bothered Laporta, who then did not travel to Almería, where Barça won 2-0 to move four points away from third-place Girona (who beat them 4-2 last week) and take a big step toward finishing second in LaLiga. and secure their place in the Spanish Super Cup next season.
“They haven't said anything to me personally. [by the club]”Xavi told reporters after the victory in Almería. “The relationship has not changed. the vice president [Rafa Yuste] He traveled, like other directors.
“I only said what I think, what is real, that we are going to fight for everything but the situation is not easy and we are all working together to change the situation. Our reality does not change.
“I'm really looking forward to the preseason, planning it with [sporting director] Decor. There is excitement and it is an honor to be in the best club in the world, with the ambition of winning trophies.
“I just said [on Wednesday] that the economic situation is not the best, but we are all working hard to turn it around and strengthen ourselves for the next season. Nothing has changed, although I understand that there is always commotion here.”
Xavi first announced earlier this year that he would be stepping down in the summer after a 5-3 defeat to Villarreal, explaining that his departure was best for the club.
However, after an improvement in results, and despite defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Madrid in April, he revoked that decision, although sources at the time described it as an “uneasy truce.”
Barça had been inclined to keep Xavi in the face of its problems in finding a successor, partly due to the lack of options in the market and also due to the club's financial difficulties, which made it impossible to name a coach on the roster and sell the project. to other potential candidates.
Xavi, for his part, agreed to stay because he is a “club man”, but a source close to the coaching staff told ESPN at the time that the feeling was “bittersweet” because they felt “weakened” and that they would be on the line. of fire at the first bump in the road.
This has been demonstrated this week, with Xavi's comments angering the club and creating doubts about who will be Barcelona's coach next season.
Xavi, who made more than 700 appearances for the club as a player, replaced Ronald Koeman in 2021 and led Barca to a second-place finish in his first term before winning the LaLiga title and Super Cup last season.
Barca have been unable to build on that success this season, although they advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2020, and will finish the campaign without a trophy.
