Barcelona may decide to do another U-turn on Xavi Hernandez by sacking him at the end of the season.
Since taking over the club as manager in 2022, it has been a strenuous relationship between Xavi and the Barcelona board.
While Barcelona president Joan Laporta has maintained a positive public parlance on the prospects of Xavi as the club’s manager, sources close to the club reveal there are still doubts about Xavi by the board.
Tensions began to soar as Barcelona’s stuttering start to the current campaign showed no sign of abating. Things worsened when they finally lost the LaLiga title race to arch-rivals Real Madrid and also crashed out of the Champions League in the last eight.
Meanwhile, pressure had begun to tank up on Xavi midway through the campaign. Battling a searing pressure from fans, the media, and some members of the Barcelona board, Xavi announced his decision to leave the dugout at the end of the season.
After his exit decision, reports emerged Laporta still wants to keep the 46-year-old despite his shortcomings and the Culers’ underwhelming show this term.
After back-to-back defeats against arch-rivals Real Madrid and PSG in the UCL quarterfinal, Laporta made a rather shocking move to talk back Xavi from leaving at the end of the season.
The Barcelona chief said he considers Xavi the right man for the job and needed time to get it right, hence the move to have him continue.
Xavi also confirmed he has made a U-turn on his decision to leave and continue next season following talks with Laporta.
Now, it appears the gloss that cloaked the uneasy relationship between the pair has been blown off.
According to The Sun, Barcelona are set to allow Xavi to leave at the end of the season following his controversial comment after the truce talk.
Laporta is said to have been angered by Xavi’s comment that Barcelona may not be formidable enough to rival Real Madrid next season due to the club’s financial situation.
While Laporta is open to Xavi’s retention as the club’s manager, the football chief is said to be strongly averse to comments that write off the club against rivals.
