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Xavi will return to Barcelona as manager and will be the “ideal man” for the job, according to former Spain boss Vicente del Bosque.
The former midfielder has never hidden his desire to manage at the Camp Nou, and Del Bosque told 90min ES he is confident the 40-year-old will realize his dream sooner or later.
“Of course he can be [Barcelona manager]. In all our time as players, some demonstrate a desire to become a coach and he is one. The time will come when he will be the ideal man for Barcelona, I have no doubt that he will be and hopefully he will do very well.
“For the Spanish team he has been a hero and also marked the team’s style of play. If you have done it from the inside, you can also do it from the outside. The time will come when he will be the ideal man for Barcelona, I have no doubt that he will be and hopefully he will do very well.”
Xavi is currently in charge of Qatari side Al-Sadd. He recently signed a one-year contract extension to coach the team for the 2020-21 season.
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Xavi to Join Barcelona Next Year?
Xavi has spoken about the Barcelona job recently, and his comments suggest he could arrive at the Camp Nou as early as 2021, according to Sport’s Didac Peyret.
“The biggest hope I have now is to be Barca coach and get Barca back to winning ways. Not me but these players and Barca triumphing. And as a consequence, our technical staff, who are preparing for it a lot and it makes us really excited.”
“I’m a club man. I would like to return at the right moment to start a project from zero. I’ve said it a lot of times but I want to take footballing decisions at Barcelona.
“It’s clear that after the elections the stage would be set, of course. I’m not ruling anything out. They came for me in January, we were speaking. I told them the circumstances and timing weren’t right.”
Barcelona will hold elections in 2021 where a new president will replace Josep Maria Bartomeu at the helm. Xavi has already turned down Barcelona once, but his comments suggest he may not say no a second time if he’s approached by the new president.
Setien to Continue for Now
Current boss Quique Setien is currently under pressure at Barcelona after missing out on the league title but is expected to continue in the role for now.
The 61-year-old only arrived in January, replacing Ernesto Valverde, but is yet to fully convince and held talks with captain Lionel Messi to clear the air after Real Madrid were confirmed as La Liga champions.
There will be big pressure on Setien to impress in the Champions League next month, with reports continuing to swirl about his future. Barcelona are said to be willing to replace him with Laurent Blanc for a season before appointing Xavi next year.
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