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Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez has once again talked up the possibility of returning to the Camp Nou to take charge of his former club and has reiterated his desire to coach the Catalan giants.
The 41-year-old is currently head coach at Qatari side Al Sadd but has spoken to FIFA about managing Barcelona in the future, as reported by Sport.
Everyone sees me as Barcelona coach. I respect Barça a lot, and Koeman, the current coach. I don’t want to hide that I would like to coach Barcelona, but always respecting the current coach and the club, that is in full competition, and I wish them the best. Elections will be held, so let’s see who wins and what the future brings. But of course, it would be a dream to manage Barça.
Xavi signed a new one-year deal with Al Sadd last summer. Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font has made it clear he would try to bring in the midfielder if he replaces Josep Maria Bartomeu at the helm of the club.
Font is one of three candidates standing for election along with Joan Laporta and Toni Freixa. The elections are due to finally take place on March 7 after having been rescheduled from January.
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Koeman Talks Barcelona Future
Xavi’s comments come at a time when current boss Ronald Koeman is under pressure once again. His team’s Champions League hopes look all but over after a 4-1 first-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
Barca are also a distant eight point behind leaders Atletico Madrid in La Liga and 2-0 down to Sevilla in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, meaning another trophyless campaign is on the cards.
Koeman was asked about his future after Barca’s defeat to PSG and was adamant he wants to continue at the club, as reported by AFP journalist Tom Allnutt.
If I was someone who gets happy when we win and then after a result like today said I had no desire to continue, that would be crazy. I know where we are. We have to change but we’re not at the end of this road, we’re halfway.
The Barca boss signed a two-year dealt hat runs until June 2022 when he arrived last summer to replace the departed Quique Setien.
Is Xavi Ready for Barcelona?
It remains to be seen if Koeman will see out his contract and much will depend on the outcome of the March elections. Laporta is the favorite to take charge of the club for a second time and has offered his thoughts on Xavi as manager, as reported by Sport.
My relationship with Xavi continues to be very good. We call each other often, beyond the fact it may seem he’s part of another campaign, because I have seen that’s been denied.
In my proposal, I think that in the short, medium or long-term he can be the Barça coach, because he wants to be. (But) he needs a little more preparation. The club requires experience. It’s the same as we did with Rijkaard, who laid the foundations, and Guardiola, who brought excellence.
First of all, we have to respect Koeman, who has a contract. He’s a Barcelona great and deserves all our respect, although results and performances count. The current situation requires experience.
There seems little doubt at all that Xavi will return to coach Barcelona at some point in the future. The former midfielder has already admitted he’s turned down one approach from the Catalans because he didn’t feel ready, but he may not say no the next time the club comes calling.
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Xavi Discusses Possibility of Returning to Barcelona As Coach